Anthea Lipsett
EducationGuardian.co.uk

Students will be “blackmailed” into holding identity cards in order to apply for student loans, the Tories have warned.

According to Home Office documents leaked to the Conservative party last night, those applying for student loans will be forced to hold identity cards to get the funding from 2010.

Anyone aged 16 or over will be expected to obtain a card - costing up to £100 - to open a bank account or apply for a student loan.

The document says: “We should issue ID cards to young people to assist them as they open their first bank account, take out a student loan, etc.”

The government had planned to start issuing the ID cards to people applying for a passport from 2010, but confidential documents confirm that the scheme will be delayed to at least 2012.

The biometric cards are due to be introduced for foreign nationals later this year, with the first expected to be issued to UK citizens on a voluntary basis from 2009.

From next year, they will also be issued to people in “positions of trust” such as airport workers.

The revelations have led to concerns that the government is planning to collect the fingerprints and other biometric details of more than two million young people entering higher education each year by stealth.

Shadow immigration minister Damian Green called the plans “straightforward blackmail” to bolster “a failing policy”.

“This is an outrageous plan. The government has seen its ID cards proposals stagger from shambles to shambles. They are clearly trying to introduce them by stealth.”

Hey, on the bright side you can honestly say nobody ever warned you about this.... ever... really... Nobody EVER DID!!! What so you expect, you people cry like babies on the intraweb about what is doing what, and you are doing exactly what to stop it?

I haven't bitched and complained cause it gets nobody anywhere.. I know the planet is going to hell faster than a 5000 lb brick off a cliff, but hey... At least we still have American Idol and porn to tide us over till we get sent to camps for being to stupid, to black, to old, to whatever...

Then we can honestly say we did a good job in preventing this kinda thing from happening.

Ohh wait no we didn't.. we would rather watch American Idol and whatever stupid retarded shows you guys have over seas... I don't watch TV much so... I ain't all up wit the new crap out.. But you get my point however.

[edit on 1/26/2008 by ThichHeaded]

This is the key, young people just do not take student loans, (they are a rip off and to keep you in debt for ever) and keep your money in bank accounts link to your parents so later your parent can take their names from the account leaving the established account only on your name when you are 18.

Tell this corrupted government to shove their Id card were the sun doesn't shine.

Why is this a bad thing?

You should have to have the I.D. in order to get the student loan, just as if you go to a bank, do you not have to show I.D. to get a loan there?

I don't have a problem with it.

if you like the government controlling every aspect of your life and holding everything you do accountable, sure be my guest

even upright citizens should be scared, its not just a ID card, its the power attainable with these

I don't understand the problem with this. Surely I must have some sort of verifiable identification before anyone loans me money. This is a non-issue.

I also dont see the problem with this?

So, if someone wants to borrow money, they should be able to just do so w/out proving who they are? The "honnor system" should be in place?

I mean, I could go take out a loan in someone else's name and stiff them w/ the bill - if I didnt have to use ID. And the same could be done to me. No thank you.

If I loan someone money, I want to know who they are. And so do lenders.

This is the same kind of black mailing they did with banking. Sure every one has a right NOT to have a bank account, but you need it to get your pay from your boss, or the social welfare. So really, you do not have a choice

[edit on 28/1/08 by iammonkey]

Originally posted by DarkWanderer
Anyone aged 16 or over will be expected to obtain a card - costing up to £100

Citizenship with a price tag.

Sri Oracle

I have a feeling that this is referring to an ID card unlike our drivers liscense in the US. It says it is a biometric card somewhere in one of the top posts. That would explain the anger. Since it's price is in Euros(?) we can also assume this is not taking place in the US which is why us Americans are doing the "wtf".

If it was as simple as a picture ID, I would have to call you all silly for being so upset about it. I don't know how you expect someone to give you gobs of money for your education without proving who you are.

On the other hand, if this is more then a picture ID and is really a biometric card with sensitive personal information, it is a little different.

Can anyone post a link or verify what type of card this really is?

[edit on 28-1-2008 by sputniksteve]

Originally posted by marg6043
This is the key, young people just do not take student loans, (they are a rip off and to keep you in debt for ever) and keep your money in bank accounts link to your parents so later your parent can take their names from the account leaving the established account only on your name when you are 18.

Tell this corrupted government to shove their Id card were the sun doesn't shine.

You are illinformed.

All students are FORCED to take student loans. However, they are not a rip off and nor could they keep you in debt forever. These loans are only repayable IF you are earning £15K (I think thats the figure) in a job (that excludes Doctorate/PHD placements where you can get £20K).

However, there will be protests nationwide

Thanks for your concern too.