Serious Stuff
I've been doing some reading this evening and then some thinking on the whole ID cards scheme that our wonderfully liberal (my arse!) government wants to bring in. Apparently there's been some sort of compromise in the House of Lords that has delayed the introduction of the card itself, but agrees to set up the Register that the cards will be a part of within two years.
Now, I have no problem in principle with the idea of having an ID card, for the same reason that I have no problem with producing my passport if asked to prove who I am/my age etc. I don't have a driving license (this is for environmental and practical reasons rather than political) but I would have no problem with carrying that either for ID. I work in a pub, I understand the practicalities of having one form of ID that is across the board. I object to being forced to have one and being forced to pay for it, both through taxation and a fee, but that is partly because I'm broke and I think it is unreasonable.
I do however, have a serious problem with the idea that all of my information will be stored in one place, that despite the best laid plans of mice and men, will NOT be inpregnable, no matter how 'secure' they attempt to make it. I object to being told that I must pay for the privilage of having my fingerprints and iris scanned in order to be stored on a national database. I object to being told that if I do not comply, that I will be fined up to £2,500, possibly imprisoned and that at some point in the future I will end up not being able to do anything as simple (and a basic human right!) as going to the doctor when I am ill for treatment. There is a definate possibility that if you refuse to sign up to this register, and eventually the card itself, that you will not be able to work, get a bank account, claim benefits, NHS treatment, get a tenancy agreement or a mortgage - in other words, you will not be a person anymore in the eyes of the government. Most people will concede to taking part in order to maintain their basic lifestyles whether they object or not at the end of the day, and once this is done, there wont be any way of going back when it all falls apart around us.
I have read no single argument whatsoever, that actually gives me a reason why this is a good idea or something that is necessary. It will not stop terrorism, it will not stop benefit fraud or immigration fraud. It will make identity theft much easier. It could encourage a world where there are more second class citizens because their cards are marked in some way. In my mind there is absolutely no doubt whatsoever that this is a way of controlling people, and keeping tabs on them.
I have done nothing wrong. I was born in this country. I work. I paid for my education. I pay my taxes and my national insurance contributions. I don't break the law (often!). I was brought up to believe that freedom of speech and expression was a right not a privilage, and that human rights were important enough to fight for, and that everyone deserves an equal chance. This Register goes against everything I believe in, and the possibilities of misuse terrify me beyond belief. I don't believe that I am the only one.
I do not want this. I think this is something well worth fighting against - I cannot imagine a world where this is the norm, and I sure as hell don't want to live in it. My friend Mat has a whole host of links on his LJ relating to this, and rather than reproducing them all here it is probably easier to check out his livejournal: matgb. Specifically the No2ID site linked there has a lot of information on the proposals and ways to get involved.
Now, I have no problem in principle with the idea of having an ID card, for the same reason that I have no problem with producing my passport if asked to prove who I am/my age etc. I don't have a driving license (this is for environmental and practical reasons rather than political) but I would have no problem with carrying that either for ID. I work in a pub, I understand the practicalities of having one form of ID that is across the board. I object to being forced to have one and being forced to pay for it, both through taxation and a fee, but that is partly because I'm broke and I think it is unreasonable.
I do however, have a serious problem with the idea that all of my information will be stored in one place, that despite the best laid plans of mice and men, will NOT be inpregnable, no matter how 'secure' they attempt to make it. I object to being told that I must pay for the privilage of having my fingerprints and iris scanned in order to be stored on a national database. I object to being told that if I do not comply, that I will be fined up to £2,500, possibly imprisoned and that at some point in the future I will end up not being able to do anything as simple (and a basic human right!) as going to the doctor when I am ill for treatment. There is a definate possibility that if you refuse to sign up to this register, and eventually the card itself, that you will not be able to work, get a bank account, claim benefits, NHS treatment, get a tenancy agreement or a mortgage - in other words, you will not be a person anymore in the eyes of the government. Most people will concede to taking part in order to maintain their basic lifestyles whether they object or not at the end of the day, and once this is done, there wont be any way of going back when it all falls apart around us.
I have read no single argument whatsoever, that actually gives me a reason why this is a good idea or something that is necessary. It will not stop terrorism, it will not stop benefit fraud or immigration fraud. It will make identity theft much easier. It could encourage a world where there are more second class citizens because their cards are marked in some way. In my mind there is absolutely no doubt whatsoever that this is a way of controlling people, and keeping tabs on them.
I have done nothing wrong. I was born in this country. I work. I paid for my education. I pay my taxes and my national insurance contributions. I don't break the law (often!). I was brought up to believe that freedom of speech and expression was a right not a privilage, and that human rights were important enough to fight for, and that everyone deserves an equal chance. This Register goes against everything I believe in, and the possibilities of misuse terrify me beyond belief. I don't believe that I am the only one.
I do not want this. I think this is something well worth fighting against - I cannot imagine a world where this is the norm, and I sure as hell don't want to live in it. My friend Mat has a whole host of links on his LJ relating to this, and rather than reproducing them all here it is probably easier to check out his livejournal: matgb. Specifically the No2ID site linked there has a lot of information on the proposals and ways to get involved.