If you don't want ID cards to be introduced

You *are* fucking joking?

Situation:

You, wandering home, late at night, maybve a few pints under your belt,
copper comes up, gets out of car, levitates from the drains, whatever,
asks you what you're doing, where you've been, you rightly refuse to
answer, copper demands production of compulsory ID, you refuse (again,
on reasonable grounds) or you've left it at home, and next thing you're
sitting in a cell down the nick.

And being banged up in a cell is about as curtailed as your personal
freedom *gets*.

And if you think some police would *not* misuse the power they get with
the cards, you're living in a dream world. It's not the cards. It's not
Big Brother and black helicopters. It's not the powers that be
electronically tagging us. It's another jumped-up social inadequate, in
a uniform, given more power.

 

Fucking right on.

 

Since January 1st, it's been compulsory in Holland to carry some sort of
identification, with a photo on, eg. driving licence, passport, other ID
card.

I heard on the radio the other day that already 800,000 euros worth of
fines had been collected for not carrying ID.
*Then* I realised what it was for...

 

Precisely - having been stopped and questioned for 10 minutes by a
Community Support Officer (or Plastic Police Man) for photographing a
bus at Victoria Station I can vouch for this sort of nonsense.
Apparently I could have been a terrorist. I patiently explained why I'd
taken the picture, who I was, who I worked for etc. It was only when I
said he could ring Tim O'Toole (LU Managing Director) to check who I was
that I was allowed to go on my way. And all that happened with me
presenting my work ID card which is clear enough as to who I am and who
I work for.

No more card carrying and no more pointless powers to deal with the
"consequences" of not doing so.

 

I have got plenty to hide. From nosy cunts who have no business
knowing it. My ID is *mine* and I will look after it for myself,
thank you very much.

 

You got stopped for taking a pic of a bus at a bus stop? Sheesh.

I'd have complained about the ****, and made enough fuss to tke it high
up.

 

"Tattooed on the back of his neck!"

 

The restrictions will apply to whoever when the powers that be choose to
use them. There are plenty of cases of misuse and spin of legislation.

Not implausible at all. Spin things round so they sound plausible.
Like speed cameras are called safety cameras etc. Things like that creep
up on you before you know it. Berrying your head in the sand will not make
it go away.

What are you trying to say?

 

Could he at that point prove he was a police officer, rather than
somebody in fancy dress?

 

*DING* That's AndrewR's whole point innit.

 

AndrewR scribbled on the back of a napkin:

Which of course explains why those "only working in our best interest"
are so eager to rid us of them.

 

The Older Gentleman scribbled on the back of a napkin:

People have had there houses searched for photographing the fountain at
Trafalgar Square with a couple of kids in that weren't their own.

I kid you not.

This is not unusual - actually you hear that quite a lot. I hardly do
any street photography in London any more because you get so many
"social inadequates in uniforms"[1] who want to seize your camera
because you're obviously a terrorist.

[1] Not only plod...

 

gomez scribbled on the back of a napkin:

Nonononono, you're going about this entirely the wrong way.

The government - which is so supremely worried about our welfare - will
look after it much better than you ever can, especially because it can
link up all those databases that you don't know about and that clearly
do not exist. All we have to do is trust the government because they
know soooo much better.

 

In uk.rec.motorcycles, Eddie amazed us all with this pearl of wisdom:

"Made in England"

 

Although everyone I've told this story to has said "you should have
reported him" I have to say I was so surprised at being questioned I
simply answered his questions politely. I also have some very limited
knowledge of some of the security issues surrounding the transport
network so in one sense the questioning was "legitimate" in part.

When we'd got past the stage of reasonable questioning I upped the ante
with the suggestion of ringing my MD to verify my identity. After that
I just wanted to get home and didn't give it much thought.

There is similar lunacy at play for those who take train photographs or
who trainspot - it is not unknown for these people to be hounded off
railway stations for "security reasons". At least BAA has the sense to
actively encourage enthusiasts at its airports because it appreciates
that most people who spot or photograph vehicles have amazing memories
and good powers of recall. Just what you need in case you want good
witnesses! One day other less informed people in authority might wake up
to this and also appreciate that it's not good business to piss off some
of your best customers / proponents of your business.

 

It made perfect sense to me.

Should I be worried?

 

[big snip about "terrorism and photography"]

What's to be boggled about? - the world's just full of panicky people
who routinely leave their brains at home.

 

Bear scribbled on the back of a napkin:

They make it more expensive to become someone else.

 

Paul Corfield wrote

Next time it happens just tell him that ii is perfectly ok for you to
take photos as long as you aren't taking professional shots of celebs
being ordinary people. The celeb's rights to have human rights has by a
curious spin off made wholesale not for profit public snapping something
they simply can't stop you from doing. Enshrined in EU legal precedent
that one is.

 

Zilch, if they're used the way the government pretend they'll be used. To
be effective, you'd need the Gestapo on every street corner.

As things currently stand, you can go out of your house and walk down the
street as of right, without expecting to have to prove your identity. With
ID cards, you'll only be able to walk down the street if your papers are in
order, said identification being in the gift of the Home Secretary. In
other words, you can only walk down the street with the express permission
of the government. You will no longer be a citizen of a free country.