Lib Dems say ‘No’ to ID cards

The ID Card controversy spilled over into the Piazza as Warwick Lib Dems launched a protest against the government’s plan to introduce personal identification documents.

The protest was small but spirited. Four volunteers braved the chill in the Piazza to explain the controversy to passers-by, handing out stickers and badges, and collecting signatures.

Society president Jon Barnes reported 250 signatures, four times the figure for a similar demonstration in the centre of Coventry.

The government will first issue cards to students from outside the European Economic Area, and foreign nationals seeking to remain on Britain on a marriage visa. The scheme seeks to cover 90 per cent of foreign nationals living in the UK by 2014-15. It will be extended to British citizens in the second half of that year.

Fingerprints will be taken before the cards are issued. The documents will also mention whether holders are entitled to benefits and how long they can remain in the country.

Barnes said such measures might well lead to Britain becoming a police state. He commented, “The government can’t intrude that much,” continuing, “All the terrorists [implicated in the past attacks] were carrying valid ID,” he pointed out.

He cited the lack of safeguards on the way in which the government might use the data. The law does not explicitly forbid the public sector from sharing information with private companies. He also suggested that the programme did not justify its cost. “The government has said it’s going to cost 5.8 billion pounds but every other report has put the figure at 15 billion pounds to 20 billion pounds.”

He regretted that the government had first targeted foreign students, deemed most “vulnerable” because of their lack of awareness of recent legislation, but also bemoaned the political apathy shown by many home students.