White Rose is a protest blog collective focusing on civil liberties in the UK.
It was set up to point a finger at the erosion of personal freedom in the UK.
Government's active measures introduce new means of control such as identity cards and surveillance cameras, the passive measures such as weakening of double jeopardy and presumption of innocence.


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White Rose contributors are those bloggers and non-bloggers who oppose restrictions on personal liberties.

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Sunday, July 06, 2003
Big Blunkett: Case for Identity Cards "Overwhelming"
Trevor Mendham (The Chestnut Tree Cafe)
(0)   Identity cards

The Sunday Times reports that in a leaked letter Home Secretary David Blunkett describes the case for Compulsory National Identity Cards as "overwhelming".

Citizens would pay £39 for the privilege of carrying a card containing biometric information. It would not be compulsory to carry your card at all times however you would have to show it to the police within a few days of demand. So don't forget to take it with you if you're on holiday.

Blunkett adds that "a highly organised minority" would "campaign vocally" against the cards.

Too right we will. This plan is a serious threat to civil liberties in Britain and must be stopped.

Cross-posted from The Chestnut Tree Cafe

The article on the ST site appears unavailable just now, you can read the BBC summary.


Comments

Of course from the Home Secretary's point of view, the case is indeed overwhelming.

It would seem that Blunkett feels that 'citizens' are mere subjects to be ruled over, so if you feel that way of course the case for identy cards is overwhelming, as it makes it a lot easier to manage your 'subjects'.

The viewpoint that governments exist to further the convinience of citizens clearly hasn't occurred (or is rejected) by Blunkett.

As an Australian, I would like to laugh and say "Ha ha you EU serfs" to my English friends. However the situation is quite as bad in Australia since both major political parties seem to have an identical outlook to Blunkett.

We haven't been inflicted with ID Cards. Not yet anyway. Instead we get to be entries on a national database

Posted by: Scott Wickstein on July 6, 2003 10:01 AM

Australia would have got ID cards in 1987 except for a legal technicality, so were actually very lucky. (Actually, I need to write up the history of what did and didn't happen in that instance. It has relevance both to the ID card debate, and the question of whether John Howard is going to hold a double dissolution).

Posted by: Michael Jennings on July 6, 2003 09:41 PM
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