British Government Makes Second Attempt For I.D Cards (moved from ATSNN)

The British government today launched a second attempt at getting compulsory biometric I.D cards passed into law. The previous attempt failed due to rebel Labour MPs and a defiant House of Lords. This latest push comes amidst plans to charge people extra for the I.D cards when applying for, or renewing, your passport.



If Blair couldnt get this piece of trash legislation through the House of Lords, or even Commons, with his previous majority I think he has absolutely no chance with a 50% reduction to his majority now. Charles Clarke can bang on as much as he likes to try and pursuade people that this is warranted but his argument is flawed.

Even the limp-wristed Tories dont see any need for compulsory I.D cards. What hope does Clarke and Blair have of convincing Liberal Democrats who now have 66 seats?

Having compulsory I.D cards will not prevent terrorists in the slightest. Unless our freedom of movement is restricted and checked to such an extent that not having a correct I.D card will prevent you from accessing such places where a terrorist would want to strike. Which equates to any where.

Much like Control Orders dont prevent terrorists from attacking this country unless you are willing to keep a person under house arrest for life. They have no evidence put forth against them so they cannot clear their name and if they are ever released and were terrorists they would simply carry out their attacks regardless.

Both legislation is wide open for abuse by our politicians. These guys are meant to work for us remember. They arent meant to have the power to lock us up or restrict our freedom of movement.

Down with this bill and down with Tony Blair.

Im English and i live in Spain.
Here everyone has an ID card, and if you dont have it when then police stop you youre fined...
Theres no problem with it...it stops credit card fraud and other crimes wheres theres need for ID.

If youve nothing to hide then why not carry one...only small minded people who believe that the ID card is the first step to big brother dont want them...

Your all a bunch of whiners...you spend yopu time readily critising the way things are and never really do anything constructive to change it...

And what a sterling effort those cards made in stopping the Madrid bombings

When people dont have the right to "whine" we're all in trouble.

What in the name of god have ID cards to do with simply the prevention of terrorism....simply they help with the everyday mundane chores in the bank, post ofice supermarket etc...

Yes, they are there to identify correctly the person in question and yes they will be a great aid in abetting crime of all types.

The new driving licenses have fotos true....!!!

And i dont recall anyone griping then.

The people that gripe about the little things like ID cards etc dont think about the millions annualy that will be saved in dole office scams and credit card fraud.
They think soley in a way to put there weedy anarchist weak complaining view point across.
His argument against the ID card has no basis, hes simply a sheep.

If he wants to complain about something why not complain about the weapons of massive destrucion lies from the government...there you have a valid reason to complain.

If put to the vote im sure they would be accepted readily by the public...WHY NOT ASK THEM.

andy1972, this thread is about I.D cards. Not WMDs if you want to discuss that matter you are more than welcome to start your own Op/Ed piece.

Also I fail to see the justification of these I.D cards to save us money when they will cost the British taxpayer upwards of £6billion! How about increase the checks of ID that we currently have instead of wasting that much money on a system thats benefits can currently be garnered from existing ID!

There is no basis for these cards. It will cost more money that it will save and it will not prevent terrorist attacks. Any more arguments up your sleeve apart from lame attempts at insults?

andy1972's post may have a valid point, though I'm not sure he knows it.

If the credit card companies (and merchants who accept them) were to uniformly require ID to complete a purchase, then the government wouldn't need to intervene. This will only happen, however, if these companies decide that doing so will benefit them financially.