ID cards rethink needed
Can anyone out there offer me a single good reason for the introduction of compulsory ID cards in Britain?
The two main arguments put forward so far are, firstly, they will help in the fight against terrorism.
This doesn't work because had they been available, the London bombers, as British citizens, would have had them.
Secondly, it is argued that they will help to monitor immigration and asylum cases and clamp down on health tourism.
Well fine, make them compulsory for people entering the country, but don't inflict them on everyone.
The people of this country need to wake up on this issue. ID cards will not be free. The cost of this project is already estimated at
£20 billion which will be passed on to the British people - that's you and me who will be expected to pay £100 for the privilege and for what gain?
It won't be compulsory to carry the card so anyone asked to show an ID card who doesn't have it with them will, I assume, be asked to present it at a police station within a certain time frame.
This whole exercise will be pointless, as illegal immigrants will just disappear and everyone else will have a time-wasting trip to the police station just to prove who they are!
And what about those who refuse to pay for their ID card? Will they end up in prison like the poll tax objectors? Or will it just be the case that those already accountable will become even more accountable?
I've not even mentioned the potential technology problems and privacy issues. This whole thing has not been thought through properly. It is a disaster waiting to happen - a major re-think is needed and quick.
John Wright, Duke Street, Gornal.
