TEN GOOD REASONS why we we don't need ID cards

In November 2004, Tony Blair's government announced plans to bring in compulsory ID cards - the 'Identity Cards Bill'.

They want sweeping powers to:
- make you have an ID card,
- charge you anything they like for it, and
- even make you carry it at all times.

1. THE COST...

The government wants powers to charge you for being issued with an ID card.

It also wants to be able to charge you for a card for your children as young as five years of age.

The cost of each card is tipped to be between £35 and £85.

2. ...SEVERAL TIMES OVER...

You will also be charged for being issued with an ID card:

It will also cost the taxpayer over £5 billion (£100 each) to bring in ID cards - enough to pay for fifty new hospitals!

3. WON'T STOP TERRORISM

Many terrorists use their real identity - the Madrid bombers and the New York hijackers ('9/11') all had valid ID cards!

4. WON'T STOP CRIME

The idea that having to present an ID card at a police station would stop street crime does not hold water, any more than making motorists show a driving licence at a police station stops car theft.

Spain and Italy have ID cards, and both continuously experience illegal immigration. ID cards are hardly a deterrent!

5. WON'T STOP DSS FRAUD

Most benefit fraud concerns false claims on circumstances, such as income. Only a small percentage concerns identity - and the money involved is tiny compared to the cost of introducing ID cards.

6. WON'T BE FOOL-PROOF

The 'biometric' technology is not fool-proof - China has abandoned plans to use it for ID cards. Failure of an ID card computer system could even deny you the use of public services you've paid for!

Criminals can get around controls by stealing or forging ID cards. The more we depend on a card, the greater will be the incentive.

7. GOVERNMENT SPIN

Maybe it's the government that has something to hide? Mr Blair keeps quiet that the government agreed to EU plans for ID cards (a.k.a. 'smart cards' or 'entitlement cards') in 2000 - a year before 'terrorism' became the convenient excuse.

The government then ran three expensive public consultations after '9/11' to whitewash this decision- and rigged the results of one consultation to claim that the public was in favour by 2:1 !!

8. PUBLIC NOT SO KEEN?

A knee-jerk opinion poll after '9/11' showed 85% of those asked would approve ID cards. However the percentage drops massively when people learn more about them - in one poll, only 18% were happy to pay even £30 for a card.

This mirrors the experience of Australia, where public opinion turned against ID cards. Plans for ID cards were dropped.

9. BIG BROTHER

The government wants to record every time we use an ID card to get public services - and talks of us also being tracked when we use commercial services (e.g. banks).

ID cards are to be linked to a vast 'population register' - a computer potentially holding masses of 'private' information. Government computers are worryingly known for holding inaccurate information

10. INCONVENIENCE

The experience of a country like Spain is that ID cards are a bureaucratic inconvenience to the law-abiding majority.

Would you be happy, as a law-abiding person, to queue up at a police station to have your eyes scanned, and fingerprints taken like a criminal? Is there a better use of precious police time - like tackling drink-drivers or burglars?

Would you be happy to be fined £1,000 for forgetting to tell the authorities about every small change of personal details?

 

 

Stop ID Cards - Stop New Labour's Poll Tax

 

You can help us by spreading the word - why not print this sheet and copy it to your friends?


To: New Alliance, PO Box 13199, London SW6 6ZU.

Please let me know how I can help the campaign against ID cards.

Please find enclosed a donation of £ ........ ( tick if receipt required)

 

Please send this slip back with your contact details:

Name & Address

 

Phone

Email


 

|Extended fact sheet|

|Reference section
Background to 2004 debate - good links
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|Being proved right by events:
Our original Q&A feature on ID cards
written after '9/11' - but still relevant.
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|News update/more on EU origins.
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|no2ID - national non-party campaign against ID cards.
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For the New Alliance Index Page|

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For the New Alliance Home Page|

 

Date page first compiled: 24 December 2004, link updated: 8 April 2005