Articles and Speeches

ID Cards - Who are You?
17-Feb-06, Windsor Express Article.

Who are you?  We've all been asked to identify ourselves on many occasions, and usually, the question is justified.

When we visit the bank we’re asked for a driving licence, passport or some other form of ID.  We're happy for them to do so because we recognise the need for security and would be very upset if our money was given to someone else.

There is, however, a strong argument that ID cards could make our lives less secure in several ways.

First, not everyone will be able to carry an ID. Overseas visitors will have to be exempt, so there is an immediate loophole.

Second, someone with an ID card will be 'assumed' to be legitimate. It is not beyond the wit of fraudsters to forge cards or copy and amend cards.  Somebody with a fake card will be at liberty to commit many acts of fraud with reckless abandon.

Finally, we must remember that an ID card holder is still able to commit a terrorist act.  Indeed, ID cards were in operation in Spain, but they did not prevent the Madrid railway bombing.

And perhaps the biggest trick played on the public is that the Labour Party originally said that ID cards would not be compulsory.  They now have the power to insist that people obtaining or renewing passports (over three quarters of the population) 'must' also have their eyes scanned and fingerprints taken.

On Monday, I was disappointed but not surprised that the Bill was forced through Parliament by a Government determined to curtail our civil liberties under the guise of protecting us from terrorism.