Cyclops appears to be softening his approach on the egregious ID cards act:
Identity cards might not become compulsory for British citizens, Prime Minister Gordon Brown has said.
“That is an option. We have left ourselves open but we haven’t legislated for it,” Mr Brown told his first media conference of 2008.
Playing the immigration card for all it’s worth, the government is to push ahead with issuing the things to migrant workers. The cyclopean one then goes on to suggest that British citizens won’t be required to have one.
Ah, but, the devious bastard is attempting to mislead us:
The current scheme will see anyone applying for a passport having to give their biometric details, but applicants will not be obliged to get an identity card.
The cards (bad enough as they are) are not the issue – it is the gathering and keeping of intensely personal information on the national identity register that is at the heart of this matter. And this is a government that has demonstrated just how cavalier they are with other peoples’ information.
So, opposition to this scheme remains on full steam ahead, then.
Perhaps they will be ‘not compulsory’ in the same way that Tax File Numbers were ‘not compulsory’ in Australia when first introduced?
While technically true, if you didn’t have one you were automatically taxed at the top marginal tax rate. This effectively made them optional only for those already on the top marginal tax rate who’s circumstances would not be worsened by not having a tax file number.
Frankly, Yasmin, they are doing everything in their powers to make them de facto compulsory anyway, simply by making life difficult without some form of “ID”. A couple of years back I wanted to buy some replacement tapes for a Dictaphone – and the spotty youth in Dixons demanded “ID” because I wanted to pay by credit card. That’s how the bastards will do it.
So, yes, while it may be technically true that they will not be “compulsory” anyone without them will be increasingly marginalised. Welcome to the brave new world… 😐