h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Posting 68 - Quoting Simon Hughes (lib dem MP): "The burden is on those who support ID cards to make the case. And we should only accept them if the arguments in favour are overwhelming - and if they meet the interests of the citizen and not just of the state."

This is probably the most rational posting on the thread. The onus should be on the pro-ID carders to prove beyond doubt that ID cards would be beneficial to the country. However for some reason (clever spin-doctoring?) it is now the anti-ID carders who are having to prove that the scheme would not be a good idea, and nobody is even bothering to ask why ID cards would be good for society.

Whisky - You are obviously pro-ID card yet much of what you write seems, to me, against their introduction. If credit cards etc. already have all this information then why would we want ID cards, that will cost us up to 2 billion pounds, to do the same job.

Regarding benefit fraud everybody seems to believe ID cards will help battle against this phenomenon, yet nobody has explained how they will actually do that. The benefit fraud advert acknowledges that much of it involves the fraudster failing to declare employment while concurrently picking up benefits. I don't see how ID cards could stop this.

By requiring ID cards for employment and benefit claims, employment wouldn't have to be declared, it'd be picked up automatically, assuming some kind of central system in place for the employer to register employment and the benefits office to check it. Obviously the fake ID would negate this, but if ID cards depended upon central computer records to work (which I doubt they would at this stage in society and technology) that'd be a very difficult prospect.

I agree with this. The anti people seem to be being made to argue their case, but the pro people (including the government) are not under the same pressure.

I figured I'd better bring this one back up.

ID cards will only impact on people claiming benefit and working if the employer passes the details on, and will have little impact on untaxed cash work in the black economy (which is where I assume most dodgy stuff currently happens).
At the moment, if all employers passed on National Insurance details for workers, fraud could be detected without the need for ID cards.

The thing about ID cards is that they would exist solely for the ruling authorities to determine who you are and what you are up to. For all other purposes they are unnecessary - people who get to know you personally discern your identity from your personality and appearance.

In my opinion most people in this country trust the authorities too much. I don't see why we should be answerable to them, after all they are just people like you and me.