Scottish Government Refuses to Implement UK ID Cards

[Architect]

In the inevitable furore that has surrounded yesterday's announcement that the UK Government intend to introduce what are effectively compulsory ID Cards, the media outwith England has largely overlooked a clear statement from the Scottish Government that they will refuse to implement the scheme:

http://www.theherald.co.uk/news/news/display.var.2100482.0.Salmond_moves_to_block_new_I D_cards_in_Scotland.php

Whilst it might be suggested that this is merely further divisional politics by the SNP administration, it's worth remembering that the previous Labour administration had also indicated that it wasn't planning to actively support any compulsory ID scheme north of the border.

The irony is that the rest of the UK don't seem hugely happy about the concept either:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=513944&in_page_id=1770

[Liszt]

former home secretary David Blunkett, the only man in England to be both blind and racist, works at the company that will implement the new scheme

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2007/mar/25/uk.idcards

[Nogbad]

Personally I am content with the position taken by the Scottish Government. I voted Labour back in 97 and thought they were pretty good in the first term. They have really lost their way and my vote. I think I have said this before but the SNP have pleasantly surprised me. I hope they carry on in this vein.

[Rolfe]

http://www.theherald.co.uk/news/news/display.var.2100482.0.Salmond_moves_to_block_new_I D_cards_in_Scotland.php




I was on that page at five minutes past midnight last night (having heard the news on the radio), and there were only six comments. 104 now. I can see how I'll be spending the coffee break.

Rolfe.

[Rolfe]

Personally I am content with the position taken by the Scottish Government. I voted Labour back in 97 and thought they were pretty good in the first term. They have really lost their way and my vote. I think I have said this before but the SNP have pleasantly surprised me. I hope they carry on in this vein.


Having been an SNP member since 1992, I'm not really surprised. Though I am pleased that things are more or less proceeding as anticipated.

For decades Labour have been telling anyone who'd listen that the SNP eat babies. It's not surprising that some people actually believed this, but come on!

And frankly, after what I'm sure was a deliberate Labour policy to stuff the Scottish parliament with the biggest dunderheids they could dredge up, in the hope that the Scots would be scunnered of their "wee pretendy parliament", doing appreciably better wasn't really going to be all that hard.

Here's to the LibDems for staying out of coalition and letting the SNP get on with it.

Rolfe.

[Architect]

It's up to 228 now.

[Rolfe]

237 now. I'm fading fast.

Rolfe.

[Fiona]

Well I have reservations about the SNP, but they will get my vote for this alone!!

[Macoy]

I'd vote for them just for that, but I'd have to move. So much for Democracy in the UK.

[Rolfe]

Good jobs, good houses, warm welcome.... what are you waiting for?

Rolfe.

[Architect]

So much for the UK.

Corrected for accuracy. ;)

[Architect]

Good jobs, good houses, warm welcome.... what are you waiting for?

Rolfe.

But please, please, please don't move to a Gaelic speaking area unless you intend to learn the language and avoid going around in a home counties accent saying "bloody locals, it's not like this in [enter name of place]" whilst reading the Daily Mail.

;)

[WildCat]

My oh my, who doesn't trust their government to execute a program effectively now?

[Fiona]

But please, please, please don't move to a Gaelic speaking area unless you intend to learn the language and avoid going around in a home counties accent saying "bloody locals, it's not like this in [enter name of place]" whilst reading the Daily Mail.

;)

Not going for the multi-cultural option then ?

[brodski]

former home secretary David Blunkett, the only man in England to be both blind and racist,

you don't half talk some rot at times, do you?

[Architect]

Not going for the multi-cultural option then ?

Aye, there's nothing like watching your few remaining Gaelic speaking areas get decimated by swathes of people from Surbiton who refuse to learn the language.

[Fiona]

Damn white settlers!! :sulk:

[shadron]

Heh. NPR interviewed the democratic governor of Montana, Brian Schweitzer, yesterday about the requirement that the state sign a letter of intent by the end of March that says they'll move their state DL IDs towards the as-yet unspecified national ID card system. The governor said, and I quote, "[sometimes] we've found it's best to just tell them to go to hell." The Montana legislature voted 150-0 to a bill instructing that there be no compliance by any state official with any provision of the Real ID Act, which the governor said was a totally unprecedented unanimity among that usually fractious group. Following that instruction he won't sign any extension request, based as it is on a executive branch regulation rather than legislation. When asked what will happen at the deadline when Montanans won't be able to board an airplane on May 1, he simply intimated that no such thing will happen; it is just bureaucratic hot air. In an afterword NPR reported asking about this with Homeland Security, and the response was that it will happen, period. "Showing up at the airport with a Montana DL [on May 1] will be no better than showing up with no ID at all".

[fuelair]

Maybe Montana should secede from the US and become a Scottish Territory (or a Haggis).

[WildCat]

Maybe Montana should secede from the US and become a Scottish Territory (or a Haggis).
I think Montanans would rather comply with Real ID than Scotland's gun laws.

[Fiona]

No, I don't agree. If Montana is to become a haggis I think they would rapidly change their stance on gun control. Unless......do they arm food animals in Montana? Hmmm.....cows with guns ;)

[Rolfe]

My oh my, who doesn't trust their government to execute a program effectively now?


I don't care if they're effective or not. I don't want them to execute it at all. This is not, in my opinion a Good Thing, any way you slice it, be you as effective as hell.

Rolfe.

(Crawls off to find an application form for Sabhal Mòr Ostaig....)

[Architect]

(Crawls off to find an application form for Sabhal Mòr Ostaig....)

's math sin!

[sophia8]

Personally I am content with the position taken by the Scottish Government. I voted Labour back in 97 and thought they were pretty good in the first term. They have really lost their way and my vote. I think I have said this before but the SNP have pleasantly surprised me. I hope they carry on in this vein.What he said. I'm delighted to be living in Scotland, and hope to be a citizen of this fine country one day.

[Rolfe]

Here's to the LibDems for staying out of coalition and letting the SNP get on with it.


Not really on topic, but look at this one (http://www.sundayherald.com/oped/opinion/display.var.2104815.0.0.php).

Sir Ming Campbell, last week spilled the beans on his and Gordon Brown's attempts to prevent the SNP taking office after the May election. Secret talks were held - over the heads of their own Scottish parties - about how to keep Alex Salmond's paws off the £30 billion Scottish Executive budget. Brown wanted a new Liberal-Labour coalition to seize power even if the SNP won, on the grounds that it would have a majority of seats in parliament. [....] Brown ordered his troops to back anyone who could win a majority in the Scottish parliament, even if that was Nicol Stephen.


As Randi would say, "astonishing!"

Rolfe.

[Policenaut]

So this is a combo drivers license/passport/credit card/gym membership/shoppers club card right? Sounds great.

[Architect]

Not really on topic, but look at this one (http://www.sundayherald.com/oped/opinion/display.var.2104815.0.0.php).




This probably deserves a thread of its own. I about choked on the bran flakes when I read it this morning.

[Rolfe]

Mmmm, want to start one? I've just about got caught up with the comments.

It wasn't really news, there was a lot of rumuor to that effect at the time, but it's interesting to get chapter and verse.

Rolfe.

[Macoy]

Good jobs, good houses, warm welcome.... what are you waiting for?

Rolfe.

Well, the housing seems cheap enough, if labour intensive:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/south_of_scotland/7275312.stm

But who owns all the land?