Labour rejects Tony Blair’s call for ID cards

19 comments

1. Because they would suddenly find out England’s population is double what they thought and half the country is illegally here

2. This is such a shame. I frequently visit Europe for work and consistently hear, including from people who work in immigration departments, that a lack of national ID card is a big pull factor for illegal immigrants as it allows them to blend in and access services more easily. 

   Labour need to reconsider this.

3. Good maybe that ghoul can just fuck off and stay fucked off. He had his time.

4. Well played.

   There’s enough to do without trying to squeeze extra shit in that frankly doesn’t really benefit anything.

5. But why? Some people can’t drive they can’t get a licence. Some can’t travel so they don’t get a passport.

   And single gov driven ID card is a great initiative.

6. I’d be fine with a national ID card issued without charge to all citizens, providing there was no legal obligation to ever carry it.

7. Blair is some super christian weirdo now, i mean he wasn’t great at the time… but now he’s even worse.

8. It didn’t work back when he was prime minister… it won’t work now

   Why isn’t this guy playing golf or something?

9. Make ID cards free for all citizens and provide transportation to get them to the facilities and you have no issue.

10. I won’t be able to use this ID for any purpose other than showing it to the police when they ask for it. If I could open a bank account with it then great but I doubt it would be useful for anything.

11. The fact that some people are in favour of this is just mind boggling. Reminds me of the hall monitors in school that get off on the power because they can demand your toilet pass. It’s just another expensive and complex bit of bureaucracy that will make life a little bit worse for everyone. Take your papers and shove em up your arse Tony.

12. **The absurdity is that, in theory, in the UK identity documents are not necessary.**

    **In practice, life without a passport can be almost impossible!!!** And passports are much more expensive than ID cards cost on the continent.

    A driving licence lets you vote but does not report and prove citizenship. Plus not everyone has one.

    If you are starting a job or renting a property, you will typically need to prove your right to live/work in the country, and therefore your citizenship. Good luck proving your citizenship if you don’t have a passport! It can be a bureaucratic nightmare!

    Since 1983, being born in the UK has no longer been sufficient to get citizenship.

    So how the hell do you prove citizenship? By tracing an ancestor who was born in the country before 1983 and who therefore was born a citizen/

13. They have only been in power for about 2 working days, but so far so good. No nonsense and hard at work

14. Why is he called Sir Tony? Shouldn’t it be Sir Blair?

15. Man who lost his job because of idea tries once again to push that idea.

16. I don’t drive, but seem to need ID for things often. I don’t want to carry around my bulky passport and risk losing it.

17. A really clueless immigrant here, why was there ever a fuss about ID cards. It’s a thing in every country I’ve been to. Why is there such a strong pushback against ID cards?

18. It’s very simple, since people hate some words. Forget ID cards. you make mandatory a driver’s license, even to state that you are legally only allowed to be a pedestrian.

19. In reality ID cards are a great plus for the average person. I’ve loved in countries where they are required and it is so convenient and easy to have a single source of ID that validates you for water, energy, phone and internet, memberships, and for other IDs (driver’s license and passport). Digital and physical versions of the ID card that enable all of that. I get the sense everyone against it has either never experienced the benefit; just hates Tony Blair; has some hang up about surveillance.