UK MPs Approve Compulsory ID Cards

Idimmu Xul writes "BBC News is reporting that the UK House of Commons has approved legislation making identity cards compulsory." From the article: "The plans, rejected by peers last month, will now go back before the House of Lords. Tories warned of "creeping compulsion" and Lib Dems said the "fight against compulsory ID cards" would go on."

Comments

Only compulsory when applying for a passport

[Elessar]

Actually it is only compulsory when applying for a passport. It will not be compulsory otherwise.

Re:Only compulsory when applying for a passport

[IIH]

Actually it is only compulsory when applying for a passport. It will not be compulsory otherwise.

So if you disagree with the idea, you can't even leave the country. Nice.

Re:Only compulsory when applying for a passport

[Pantero Blanco]

At this point in the US, ID cards are mandatory if:

1. You want to drive.
2. You want to travel on an airplane (and most inter-city bus systems say you have to show one when asked, though they don't usually check).
3. You want to buy a firearm or ammunition (in most states).
4. You want to cash a check (read: get paid).
5. You want to pay for anything with a check or credit card (and places that sell expensive items don't always accept cash!).
6. You want to enroll in school.
7. You want to buy cigarettes or alcohol.
8. You want to get an ID (Yes, really, even if this isn't exactly what the law says. I've been through this).

I'd say that's pretty damn compulsory.

Remember what Franklin said?

[Anonymous Coward]

"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety are probably British and should be shot at."

Well, not quite

[Spad]

To be fair, in order for them to become compulsory, they'll have to go back and get legislation passed through both houses. Of course, anyone who gets their passport renewed will be required to get an ID card anyway (which in the UK is a large percentage of the population) so they'll be compulsory in everything but name.

Either way, it's a massive blow for civil rights in this country - they'll be storing obscene amounts of personal information, including the buzz-word of the moment, 'biometrics' in a central database that will need to be accessable by essentially every government department. Given this government's record for IT projects, I'm almost looking forward to the ID cards being introduced just to see how spectacularly the whole system fails.

Bad movie script?

[Nevtje(hr]

"Sir, may I please see your ID?"

-Umm, I forgot it at home.

"Did you forget it at home or are you an illegal immigrant?"

-No, seriously, I forgot it at home!

"Right."

Officers club down suspect and drag him to jail.

I can only assume this is to counter illegal immigrants- and homeless people? Any regular citizen cannot not have an ID (job, bank transfers, rent etc).

Got Mine!

[slashbob22]

.. and it looks great. What's this antenna sticking out of it?

Re:Stupid paranoia with ID cards.

[kyb]

You may find this page useful in understanding why it's perfectly reasonable to be suspicious of ID cards.

It's the nature of governments to continually increase their power, and it's the responsibility of the people to limit a governments power to the absolute minimum required to fulfill its function.

Remember as well, when you give a government that you trust powers, you aren't just giving them the powers, but also all the future governments that you may or may not trust.

Why should I need to show papers to authorities when I'm walking down the street? Is the street theirs and I get to walk on it only at their sufferance, or are they my servants that exist to make sure that I can walk down the street freely?

Re:Why the fuss?

[N1AK]

Take a look at what is happening in Zimbabwe if they find out you vote against Mugabe's party. How about what happened to the Jews because the Nazi's knew there religion. Or how about Cambodia where the wrong shape head could get you killed? This isn't a Utopia, thing about how the information could be used in good times and in bad.

What's depressing about your point of view, is your think everyone is being worried for no reason. Simply because you didn't take the time, or use your brain to think things through.

Re:Why the fuss?

[crabpeople]

"I personally don't have a problem if a someone knows who many times I day I shit, what kind of tea I buy, what party I vote, etc. so I have real trouble comprehending this strange fear"

Please kindly reply to this comment with the following:

1) your full name and home address
2) a history of your shopping record, including times and dates so i can pattern match to see when your most likely to be not at home
3) Detailed purchase information from your local big box store so that when i come to your house and murder your wife, i can do it with a recently purchased like model knife or blunt object.

Honestly, the only people who are for mass databases really have no imgination.