Communication Breakdown
Communications from the world of, er, communications. And other stuff.
Thursday 12 July 2007, 5:38 PM
ID cards - compulsory or not?
Further questioning elicited more explanation: no, you won't have to carry it around all the time, only when you want to use public services. Then: it's "not a tool for police to demand your papers", but if you are suspected of committing a crime, police can ask you to prove your identity, as before. Eh? This brings us back to "what's the point then?" - in a system that's supposed to stop terrorism/whatever, there's no benefit to having ID cards unless everyone has to carry them around all the time. Stop Joe Criminal and give him the option of popping along to the police station later to bring in his ID card, and you think he'll show up?
In any case, you'll automatically register for an ID card if you renew or apply for a passport, so pretending that it's not compulsory in any way is frankly a joke. Some honesty on such matters would go a long way to convincing people that the system is not malevolent - if that is indeed the case - and hobbling one of the key bodies that's scrutinising the scheme's introduction is not exactly helping matters.
Oh hang on [looks through notes from today's eForum]... "The government has said it will look at further legislation for compulsory registration in the future" (Harrison again). That's more like it. Call a spade a spade.
PreviousComments on this post
In Spain, it is compulsory in theory to always have your ID card with you in the street. Unlike in the UK carrying one is not perceived as an infringement of liberty. What people do is either not bother, and if in the remote chance of a police officer demanding to see it, you just say you've just lost it today and that's it, no problem or do what Spanish law allows you to do to avoid loss of the original, which is carry a photocopy, although that is no use if you need to collect a "certificado" from a post office. For any kind of transaction like that you obviously need the original or a passport. But that's the same in the UK isn't it?
As a Brit in Spain, I think the Spanish have got it about right. I personally can't see any problem carrying one - sometimes it can be very convenient. But it should not be a finable "offence" to not have one on you. That's absurd - if you change your clothes quickly for example, it's an item easily forgotten. I'm not surprised Harrison is being a bit cagey because British law is not as "flexible" as e.g. Spanish law, and if the British Government does make it an "offence" to not have one on you, albeit only when using public services, it's going to be a touchy subject.
