New ID Card?

[Jackyd99]

...otherwise, I hope I'll be able to be strong enough to resist the whole thing...

Oh I'll be strong enough - and loud enough....mark my words... 

[Pahakissa]

I will be honest I have not read any of my ILPA papers yet.  They are sitting on the side here.  I will try and scan it to see if there is going to be any work on it.  I missed the meeting in respect to the new consultation as I had a different meeting to attend.  My guess is that the ID cards will be for a small number of immigrants.  They probably could not force the EU citizens have it if not being metered out to UK citizens.  I also would not think they would force asylum seekers, at this stage to have them either.  Granted the UK government has no idea how many asylum immigrants there are currently here. 

There is a perfectly good system already in place.  It is called the visa and there are ways for employers to find out if someone is legal or not i.e. phone and give the visa number and have it verified.  No real need for the card at all.  It also, like a passport and visa, can be forged.  If this is something that really causes you concern maybe speak to your MP.  I will try and find out where ILPA stands on this and let you know. 

[Molly Mockford]

I don't see why they can't just connect a driving licence and your details the same way California does. In Calif you are required to carry a picture ID which is your licence or personal ID issued by the DMV after the age of 18. Here in the UK you can get the same but you are not required to carry it with you which I think is sill in the first place. They could connect the two but instead seem to just want to make more money on a sill scheme.

The thing is, though, that in this country one cannot take out a driving licence (other than a Provisional one) until one has passed a test.  No test pass, no licence.  There are plenty of people who never learn to drive because they live where public transport is easier (London is an obvious example).

Some people don't even have an NHS card, because they have never registered with a doctor - and those who have never worked, or registered for unemployment benefit, wouldn't have a National Insurance number.  Whichever system we look at, there are always going to be some who are not on that system.

I'm not saying I'm in favour of a compulsory card for 100% of the population - I'm dead against it.  (How stupid do they think terrorists are, not to be able to come up with their own ID cards?  And if, as so far, they are, up until the day itself, apparently perfectly ordinary British citizens, they would end up with an ID card anyway - it doesn't say "Terrorist" on it!)  I'm just trying to highlight the difficulties with trying to tag an ID card onto any existing system.

[cheryls]

I think you missed the part where I said in Calif you must carry a picture ID after the age of 18. It is the law. You can get this in a Driving licence or if you don't drive you can still go to the DMV and get a picture ID.