By Euro Weekly News Media • Published: 27 Aug 2015 • 4:00
The world is facing its worst refugee crisis since the Second World War with 50 million people leaving their homes according to the EU’s migration commissioner.
This after David Cameron’s comments about “swarms” of migrants making for British shores!
There followed numerous proposals for dealing with the crisis like, for instance, issuing ID cards, which provoked much flak from bleeding-heart liberals and the usual suspects. Now, I’ve never understood the problem with issuing these cards.
They’d solve lots of problems and are the rule in most advanced democracies. Straightaway after WW2, they were in circulation in the UK and I don’t believe anyone objected then!
Naturally, today’s ID cards would be far more state of the art than those war-time cardboard ones. But they’d represent a breakthrough in keeping tabs on who has, or hasn’t the right to reside in the UK, apply for benefits and, in addition, provide solid proof of identification for those members of the legitimate population who don’t have a passport or driving licence.
So many could benefit: the elderly, the very young, the very poor and the disabled.
As regards not registering those who leave the country, it’s beyond belief that successive governments (both Conservative and Labour) should have abandoned such checks at outward passport control. It’s preposterous, too, that the administration of applications and the consequent huge delays in granting leave to stay or, if refused, removing the claimant ends up taking forever.
A much more targeted, businesslike approach to this ever-growing crisis is what’s called for: a sea change from the traditional British ‘muddling through.’ But what about the EU’s response, you ask? Yeah, right, there goes another herd of pigs flying past my window! EU efforts to forge solutions routinely end in bickering and half-baked policies generally eliciting responses from countries within it that unsurprisingly rhyme with ‘bucket.’
I’m not saying ID cards are the only solution (try telling a professional historian that things were simpler in the past – and stand well back). What’s needed is to reverse the widespread perception that Britain’s a ‘soft touch.’ This might even lead to a more generous response to those in truly genuine need, like vulnerable Syrians in UN camps.
Nora Johnson’s thrillers ‘Landscape of Lies,’ ‘Retribution,’ ‘Soul Stealer,’ ‘The De Clerambault Code’ (www.nora-johnson.com) available from Amazon in paperback/eBook (€0.89;£0.79) and iBookstore. Profits to Cudeca.
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Well said Nora! It is time we introduced I.D. Cards to all legal British residents. I find it unbelievable that the government is issuing PASSPORTS to immigrants when they are accepted for residence instead of a temporary visa. This gives them the right to stay in the U.K. forever!A recent TV interview asked immigrants if they would return home once the wars are over and all replied with a resounding NO!The country is overcrowded, and yet they still allow them in by the tens of thousands. It has to stop or the country will be doomed for all time.
I can never understand how behind the times UK isevery other country as far as am aware has ID cardswhy should britain be different?In my case -couldn’t get married in uk as partner no birth certificate – a friend had the birth certificate but no passport!!!!driving licence or other ID!!!!UK is now for the immigrants not the brits- try returning!!! Kay
Oh dear, oh dear, good people. Please think it through.
Obligatory identity cards would ignite a whole new industry of criminality derived from forgery ⦠and, therefrom, lots of sub-streams of corruption ⦠with the growth of ‘official registries’ and much more draining the nation’s policing budget at the expense of more essential crime prevention services.
Hi John. I think you need to think this through. There are measures enough that will stop the forging of I.D. cards, and they will be useful for immigrants entering the country. As I said previously, it is ridiculous for the government to issue passports to them when they are allowed to stay. An I.D. card is all that is required for them to be legally in the country, and because they do not have a British passport they can return to their homeland once the terrorists have been sorted out. It does no harm to British citizens to hold an I.D. card as a quick and easy proof of identity.
I think you are wrong John,firstly anything to do with identity will attract crime in falsification but the benefits would outstrip that, why not just say it’s not worth having a driving license or money, the benefits of those outweigh the forgery issues! Forgery will exist but authorities just need to be on top of that.Secondly there would hopefully be less drain on the policing budget as there would be less need for police to run around trying to find out who some people are.
My greatest worry would be the cost of the card and that the government being the government would be ripped off as they seem to have no idea on how to do business internally through letting costs spiral, one of the reasons the government privatises businesses they run. An ID card would be helpful in many ways and make transactions, dealing with the authorities and the police much simpler… two cards, one for British national and another for a visitor or resident, an advanced technology would need to be used so the cards would be difficult to forge with only the holders name and address being information the card contains while further information if needed should be obtained from current resources. These cards would be an advantage and make things simpler for police and immigration, I really cannot see how anyone unless a criminal or dodgy character would not see the common sense in having these.
I can only think that Cameron is toeing the Merkel line in order to better himself with a future nose in the trough at Brussels just like Kinnock.She seems to have the Greek prime minister in her pocket after all he promised to his electorate.
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