As a lapsed UK resident that lives in two countries with ID cards, I seriously wonder what all the fuss is about and why the UK population is so against the idea.
I do think that the idea of using ID cards in the UK just for people who have a job is hardly likely to have the massive effect on immigration that they think it will have. Most of the people they are trying to catch do not work in regular jobs but work cash-in-hand within the gig economy. For it to work effectively the system needs to cover every legitimate citizen.
But the complaints being offered about not wanting to share personal information seems rather spurious. If we start with social media then look at how much personal information is provided on sites like Facebook, X, Instagram, Tik Tok and the like. From many people’s posts the information goes much further than just name, address and telephone number. You can often determine what food people eat, what their interests are and even if their house is empty because they are lying on a beach with a cocktail!
Once you start going through the large numbers of cards in a wallet, there are your bank cards, credit cards, loyalty cards, hotel membership cards, airline membership cards, gym membership cards, transport cards and many more. Nearly all of these want personal information that is stored on computers that you freely give up for a small discount. So, if it is about protecting personal information then cancel all your cards, come off social media and start using real coins again rather than credit, if you can find places that still accept cash!
But this isn’t necessarily the fault of the complainers, but maybe of the people marketing the idea. If I return to the two places where I live and where ID cards are implemented I notice that the cards come with benefits. In both cases there are reductions for citizens for a variety of things. Recently I was booking some theatre tickets, and the price was about half for citizens simply by showing their ID card. In one of the countries, I must have health insurance to receive an ID card. The card then entitles me to about a seventy-five percent discount on that paid by visitors from other countries using private hospitals, or free service at the state hospitals.
These are just a few of the benefits that people enjoy with their ID cards. And, yes, any raids on premises by border force is simply a case of whether they have legitimate documentation. These ID cards identify the person a citizen, not simply a citizen who works. Surely a developed country like the UK can find a better way to sell an ID system than simply another document before you can work. Why penalise the genuine workers instead of having a system that rewards them and seeks out the non-workers.
