Rant

Work's web filter will no longer permit me to blog from work, so entries may not be so frequent now :-/

My main rant today is on the issue of ID cards. Rational Britons, if you agree to the government's thinly veiled attempt to subvert and control us, raise your hand and say "aye" and prepare to be scowled at.

Much as I am appalled and distressed by the government's actions, I am equally disturbed by some of the opinions expressed by the Bristish public. Some comments that I have come across are:

"They'll keep all these foreigners out, keep them from causing trouble." - A work colleague, we don't speak anymore.

"Extremely good idea, this will not only put us in line with our European and American counter parts but will significantly help in sifting the real terrorist." - Someone who is yet to twig that the government want to put our biometric data on the database, something no other nation has yet done, that ID cards are not compulsory in the USA or most European countries and that ID cards would not have prevented 9/11, the London or Madrid bombings (from an MI5 representitive). What this person means to say is "illegal immigrant", clearly the same thing in their eyes.

"While I am generally not opposed to ID cards, I do very much object to having to pay for one. I have already paid for a driving licence and passport, both of which have my photograph and details on so I don't see why I should pay yet more for another card." - Again, someone who has not considered the profound difference between this and other forms of ID.

"I have no problem whatsoever carrying an ID card, and believe that the only people concerned about an 'intrusion' of their civil rights must have something to hide." - Well, the less said about this monkey the better.

"If I hear anyone else say ID cards will infringe their "right to privacy" I will scream! The UK does not have a written constitution, consequently you have no "right" to anything." - This man has never heard of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and is oblivious to the fact that few countries do actually have a written constitution, this does not mean that the majority of human beings lack basic human rights. Rediculous man. His name is Matt Munro, he's from Bristol and this quote, along with most of the above can be found here.

This is just a taster. I have also come across plenty of people who are as concerned about this little scheme as I am. How is it possible for these people to exist in the world with so little attention to detail? And more importantly, so little care for the valid concerns of other people?!

Right now, MPs are voting on this issue, once again. Even if the government loses we all know where this is going. Tony likes this idea so much he is willing to invoke the Parliment Act on it. We are going to be forced down this road whether we like it or not.

Quite frankly I am terrified of what is happening in this country. First it's 'I went to war because I believed it was right.' Now it's 'I am going to force people to succumb to fingerprinting and iris scans, even if they have done nothing wrong and charge everyone £300 just for being a UK citizen'. There are several words that spring to mind here. Dictatorship is one. The others would invlove several *s each.

Ok, so they've agreed to say that ID cards won't become compulsory without an amendment to legislation, but every single person getting a passport from 2008 will be forced to have an ID card. And they haven't said they won't seek such an amendment later. It is complusion by the back door.

Tony says they have to make good on their election manifesto because we, the British public voted for it. Actually, at the last election Labour only got 35% of the vote, and the proportion of registered voters who turned out was just over 60%. So technically, most Bristish voters did not vote for the leading party, less than a quarter did. Therefore, all manifesto promises should be declared null and void.

The whole thing makes me so angry.