Is mass disobedience the only way to make I.D. cards fail?

Question

Like it or not they are comming. I will not carry one. If we all do the same will we force the plan to be dropped. Are there any other solutions that might prevent me from landing a fine when the time comes?

For those who don't know - The UK government want everybody to carry a (probably biometric) I.D card to 'fight crime and terrorism'. I reckon it's a way to say guilty unless proven innocent. Why do we need more ID - my passport, drivers licence, student card and works I.D all clearly identify me.

and by mass disobedience i mean that the majority of people don't carry one

Answer 1

I'll join you bud.
I've still not heard of a valid reason for having them. Stopping crime? Will it hell. And it'll spawn a whole new world of fraud with people making fake ones. Stop illegal immigration? They'll just buy one from Camden Market.
All I can think of is the safety in numbers...like the poll tax. www.no2id.net is a good place to start.

Answer 2

I think the idea of an I.D. card that you have to carry is outrageous and I agree it will shift the law from innocent until proven guilty to guilty until proven innocent. The problem with mass disobedience in this case as it will mean the government can say that people who don't want ID cards are criminals, look, they're breaking the law by not carrying one.

Answer 3

Or getting the Liberal democrats into power. The Tories want them as well, but as we all know they're just Labour by another name nowadays.

You'll be joined by a lot of people who think that they're utterly pointless. All the 7/7 bombers would have got through 'security checks' fine - because they were British citizens, so would have had valid ID cards. The government just want the right to be able to keep tabs on you 100% of the time. Who needs 1984 style telescreens when you have a chip in the ID card which (like a credit card chip) can be detected at any time.

Answer 4

I believe that you are right that only mass disobedience will prevent the ID card from working. Regrettably I believe that when it comes to it, mass disobedience will not happen.
This country is overwhelmingly occupied by people who take the simple view that "if you have done nothing wrong then you have nothing to fear". WRONG.
They also believe that ID cards will prevent terrorism and be a powerful force in the detection of crime. WRONG.
Unfortunately, mass disobedience at the level needed to defeat the ID card will not happen - look at the Poll Tax Revolt and its failure.
We are suckers, sleep-walking unto a totalitarian state.

Answer 5

I like to stress that I'm a supporter of absolute democracy. That is, each to their own. Personally, I am in favour of ID cards, provided they're free, as I have immense difficulty identifying myself. I don't have a passport or anything like that. It often means I can't even buy cigarettes, despite being 23!! I understand your opposition to ID cards, and I fully agree with the "Big Brother" accusations aimed at the british government. They try to snoop in on everything. I do believe that ID cards will help people, but let's face it, they're not going to help our soft touch government tackle immigration or crime in any way whatsoever. I will support your mass-disobedience, but not to help myself. This is a freedom issue, and that's what I will support. Get out there and fight the tyrants.

Answer 6

I for one won't carry an ID card, and I think that they are a poorly thought out knee jerk reaction from a failing government.

Consider the major flaw. A huge database run by the government (and we all know how effective they are when it comes to IT projects) that is the central defining point that you are "you". Once that database has been hacked, and it will be, your identity is up for sale to the highest bidder. There can be no going back, if your bank details get stolen/hacked you can start again, but if your identity gets stolen from the de facto source, what then?

Answer 7

We already have a national ID card program, it is called a social security card. The problem is, that card system has been hacked to pieces, and it needs updating. Updating that system could be a problem for lots of people.... the people who have hacked the system!!!, people collecting social security benefits from 2 or 3 cards... or may be more, and people who want their identity to remain unknown... thieves, crooks, felons, pedophiles etc. People in other countries have long been required to carry passports... yes... that system got hacked also.

I find it very strange that a lot of the people who have been against things like the patriot act and other security measures, are the same ones who have been in favor of gun control. Any form of gun control is the only real threat to our civil liberties. As long as civilians have arms, the governments cannot threaten their civil liberties!

Answer 8

At the moment, there is no way to get out of the fine. But you can refuse to pay. Talk to you friends, get them to buy your stuff (but allow you to keep it), and get a receipt to protect it from bailiffs, should you continue to take a stand. It might be worth to have some savings in cash as well, since Gordon Brown can steal money from my pension, the state would have no scruples about robbing your bank account..

But, one of the best defences about it right now is get a new passport. Not tomorrow, not at the weekend, but now. This should protect you, in a way, for 10 years.

After that, maybe we'll be sharing a cell?

Answer 9

Not sure but Im sure you are not alone in not wanting to carry one. It's a little too much "big brother" for me and I know a lot of people who feel the same way from many different political affiliations so it might be something that brings people together for a cause.

Answer 10

A very quick blast in a microwave oven will zap the data they carry and it would need a lot of work to discover where it's all gone! I thought there was something about 'innocent until proven guilty' - if anyone doesn't believe you are who you say you are, then it's down to them to prove it!