Security management Toolkit 
Story: Home Office looks to high street for ID biometrics
Re: A moot point
: It is and will be a rether woolly subject until
: we know what the Government detailed
: plans are.
There's a couple of minor problems with that last point. Firstly the thought that any plans the government might have on this general subject might be in any way "detailed"; and the second being the idea they might deem us plebs worthy of hearing them.
: But if the intention is to ensure that those
: non nationals among us have been granted an
: entitlement to reside here, then it would
: certainly be in their interest to carry an identity
: card to both identify themselves and their
: residential entitlement without the aggravation
: of temporary arrest.
How will this actually work on the street:
PC: Excuse me sir, you look like a foreigner, papieren bitte .. sorry .. papers please.
Innocent bystander: But I'm British. I was born in Warrington. I don't have any papers on me.
PC: You are under arrest for looking like a foreigner and not having any way of proving that you're not.
This is what the likes of no2id mean when they, and the stack of security experts say the only effect will be to increase tensions, with no effect on the core situation.
: While a passport would identify an individual it
: does not provide any further information such
: as NI number or address or even entitlement
: to be here.
I don't know how it works with foreigners over here, but I would expect the leave to remain and work permit and such would be stamped in their passport. Even if it doesn't, there would be some kind of paperwork to wave at people who really insist on knowing.
: It would also help prove entitlement to publicly
: funded services such as NHS facilities.
I would assume that the relevant NHS formage would do this just as well.
There is already paperwork that covers all of these things now. Putting them into one easy to steal/lose card does absolutely nothing of benefit to anyone.
: The need to have identity cards is a sad thing
: but the influx of many unsavoury penniless
: economic illegal immigants and the increased
: terror threat makes such ID cards a necessity.
I recognise that argument as the kind of stuff trotted out by the Home Office preying on fears they have themselves pumped up.
The bulk of the penniless economic immigrants, unsavoury or otherwise, have been coming from the newly expanded EU and the recent crop of terrorists were home grown.
We are quite used to the thought that our great leaders spin and lie about pretty much everything else, why do you assume they aren't doing the same thing here?
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