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[UK] Blunkett to intro UK ID cards, via £25 passport tax

26-05-2003 12:32pm

#1

dahamsta

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Blunkett to intro UK ID cards, via £25 passport tax
By John Lettice
Posted: 23/05/2003 at 10:47 GMT

UK Home secretary and award-winning serial threat to freedom David Blunkett is set to foist identity cards on the UK public under the cloak of dealing with ilegal immigration. The UK public prints (here's one) report that the legislation will be brought in this autumn, "as part of a package to tackle illegal working by migrants" (spot the cloak, people) and Blunkett intends to put a policy paper recommending cards to the Cabinet during the next six weeks.

Radio 4's Today programme incidentally revealed that the alleged "entitlement" cards are referred to as ID cards internally at the Home Office anyway, so we can safely dispense with that piece of smoke, which in any event is a difficult tag to maintain if the system is being operated as a stop and search programme largely aimed at people of darker complexion.

Blunkett, who is absolutely convinced that he has a direct line to the Great British Public and that his critics are all namby-pamby liberals living in Hampstead, no doubt calculates (wrong word - 'believes with messianic fervour') that a crackdown on asylum-seekers, a term that is rapidly becoming synonymous with 'illegal immigrants' will popularise the ID cards. He may however find the scheme less popular when said Public learns that it will cost £1.6 billion (in uk.gov pre-contractor money, so you can guess £4 billion on non-delivery five years late), and that they will be shouldering the bill at £25 extra on top of their next passport or driving licence fee.

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