You young? I suspect that may be the case. If so, you must be out on the lash every day, and proving your age as you lurch from hostelry to hostelry must be a right pain. Imagine all that drinking time you are losing, fumbling for various scraps of paper to prove that, yes, you really are more than 15 years old.

Fear not, faithful drinker, as a Government Minister has pointed it the best way to shorten this time and remove any inconvenience. You can use your National Identity Card.



http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8361943.stm

So, on the one hand we are all wringing out hands over drunken students pissing over war memorials, and on the other were are gleefully celebrating the liberating joy of having a card when it comes to going out on the lash.

The list of things the ID card can hep us with grows ever longer:
• Immigration - apparently, Johnny Foreigner won’t have an ID card, so you can spot him a mile off.
• Terrorism - because you are so going to put “Jihad Suicide Bomber” as your occupation on the application form.
• Getting served in bars ...



I’d put it to Mr Davis though that:
1 - None of the defences thus far have been robust and have not grabbed the public imagination in the way that it had been hoped.
2 - The Tories will, when their vampiric permafrost chill grabs the nation next year, will see the benefits of keeping the scheme and will find ways to rebrand it in such a way that will make the Lisbon Treaty seem like a minor fuss. An ID card will be a welcoming blessing to their shadowy colleagues in UKIP and the BNP.

I look forward to rejecting having an ID card when they are made compulsory. Hopefully I'll be put in one of the nicer prisons.

The way I see it, plenty of money has been spent on it, so if we don't introduce ID cards, all that money will have been for nothing. Quite why we think we are any better than the rest of Europe I don't know - maybe a false sense of importance - but it could have its benefits and I think we should at least try it and see if it works.

As for buying booze, quite true - a mandatory ID card that everyone has to carry will avoid those occasions where you are asked for ID and have nothing to show - the passport doesn't work because it'll get dog-eared and unusable in no time and not everyone has a driving license.

1) Photo card driving license
2) Existing (cheap) proof of age cards
3) Passport.

Stupid man.

1) Not everyone drives, no point in having a provisional when you have to reapply every 2 years.
2) These are stupidly easy to fake, I know many 'friends' who bribed someone to lie about their age on them, all they did was call them and say "Is mr X 18?" "Yes" Id approved.
3) A lot of places refuse out of date passports now, and for a £80 piece of ID i'd expect the ID to be less, and I know a lot of people that have lost theirs on a night out

To be honest I don't think it's such a bad idea, as long as it means I no longer have to carry my driving licence with me and can keep it in a safe place (I know you dont currently, but it's easier to be able to provide some ID than have to go to a police station with a provider)

Provisionals last far, far longer than 2 years. Typically 10 years in fact. It's your theory test pass certificate that expires after 2 years.



Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but won't you have to buy both the ID card and passport together if you don't have a passport?

I have no objection to the ID scheme provided it remains voluntary (well, I do object to wasting £10bn+ on it), the moment it becomes compulsory I'll kick up.

I think all Labour and Tory MPs should have to wear a giant orange hat that says "OLIGARCHY-BOUND SCHEMING [LIFTED]" so that the general public can pelt them with faeces.

A passport is £80, that was the ID I was reffering to, and I can hardly see how when it will be law to have one they can charge on top of taxes to own one.

Why would you have to buy a passport as well? A passport is only really needed if you want to leave the country, as getting a Driving licence is possible without one IIRC

Apparently they've tweaked it slightly so that you no longer have to get both together, you can get an ID card separately. An ID card is still going to cost you £30 if you go to a government centre, £50+ if you want it done more locally. Oh, and HMG will congratulate you for being entered onto the National Identity Register and having your fingerprints (and possibly iris scans and DNA in future) stored.

I hope it's never compulsory to have one.

I've already got an electoral ID card that proves I'm over 18 thanks, and I knew who I was even before that

This will just be an expensive, PITA load of sh1te from a government and it's agencies that can't be trusted in general, never mind with your data

If ID cards are such a good idea, why has it taken this long to come to that conclusion?

They aren't and only the hardy few (who are unfortunately in government) still think so. Thankfully, this situation will be remedied quite soon.

Jon

I think the British Government have it all wrong. Here people actually want the ID card - it has been a normal part of German life since the British (along with the rest of the allies) introduced it after the war.

Here it is a part of every day life.

Want a mobilephone contract? Easy, just show your ID card.

Want to open a back account? Easy, just show your ID card.

Want to buy a house? Easy, just show your ID card.

Want to buy a car? Easy, just show your ID card.

Want to get into a pub or club? Easy, just show your ID card.

Stopped by the police for anything, you have to produce you ID card - if it is a motoring offence, you need to provide your licence as well.

As a Brit, I don't qualify, so I have to take my passport with me everywhere. An ID card is much more convinient, it fits in my wallet for a start!

A National ID card.
Will it reduce crime.. almost certainly not.
Will it reduce terrorism. Absoloutly not.. just look at the Madrid bombings.
Will the cards be faked.. Certainly.
Will the scheme be hideously expensive.. you betcha.
Will the details be secure... As long as no one looks on the back seat of any taxi, the confidential details held will be safe.
Will every tom dick and harry be able to get access... They will say of course not and then let every "governmental" body have access.

I don't think the point here is whether an ID card is a good or bad thing per se.

The point is that, in the UK, Officials are notoriously bad at misplacing or losing data and systems are never as secure as they should be.

I would never be happy about handing over so much data to be kept in one place by Officials and structures that have been shown to be inept and incompetent when it comes to security.

Sorry no such luck. NOT having one will not be criminal offence - they dont want ID Martyrs. Instead it will be a civil offence with a large fine. Dont pay the fine and the baliffs will come round, they will do attachment of earnings/benifits.