Home Office logistics on ID Cards

30 11 2009 Launch of Identity cards in <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 />Manchester. Although the New ID cards cost £30 they can only be issued to holders of a Passport which costs £77.50. Once obtained the holder can travel Passport Free anywhere across the EU.

 

Opinion: Given that the EU be a UNION of Countries why would one want to purchase a Passport which qualifies for EU Travel and then obtain an Identity Card which removes the need for that Passport if ones travel be bounded by EU borders?. Obviously the ID card is not an alternative to a Passport for use outside the EU and so is this an initial step through which all British Citizens become finally ID card compliant – something that New Labour Mr Blair called for but was subsequently rejected.

Identity theft is indeed becoming a major issue in our digital era but what of Identity Theft at the hands of a Home Office which assigns “New Numbers” to replacement Passports thus creating a conflict with existing paperwork that bears the “Old Number”. To be abroad residency forms don’t tally-up and given that a Bank may ask for copy ID from a passport for their file which now contradicts one then has to revisit the origin of where that account was created to update their files as they wonder why one now has a change of identity on an Identity document. Mr Blair said that “Choice was good” so by which number would you like to be known by and would that explain why a Gov is in ever need of a larger Database - in cross-referencing its own chaos through confusion on “standards”?.

 

As to Passport costs to renew a British Passport at a British Consulate abroad costs £150.00 unlike £77.50 in the UK.

 

 

 

Identity in Crisis

I can recall being in a UK Bank and witnessing a Mother attempting to open an account for her newly employed daughter such that her wages have somewhere to be paid to. Has she any form of identity the Bank employee asked. Has she a driving licence ? – No she does not drive. Has she a Utility bill ? – No I pay the bills not my daughter. Has she a Council Tax Bill? – No she doesn’t. Well I’m sorry your daughter cannot open an account here since those are the things that our “system” needs!.