STOP THE ID CARD CON

The government has announced that people in Greater Manchester will soon be "able" to register for an ID card.

Why pick on Manchester and the North West? The government thought it could force people working at Manchester Airport to be guinea-pigs for the national ID card. It was wrong. The airlines and unions saw no benefits and said 'NO'. The government backed down. It is now spending your tax money trying to get people in the region to 'volunteer' instead.

How much will it cost? The government says it will charge £30 for the card, but admits the whole scheme will cost billions — hundreds of pounds a person. In reality you'll have to keep paying every 10 years and, once registered, you'd be liable for fees and penalties for the rest of your life — up to £1000 for failing to notify when your details change. You'd also have to pay to have yourself fingerprinted. No one knows the costs if you lose your card or if it is stolen. Or the cost to you if the computer ever says 'NO'.

It's not the card, it's the database. The ID card itself is a distraction. We all carry 'ID'. You can buy a proof-of-age card for under a tenner. The ID scheme is about forcing you onto the National Identity Register, the ID database. Numbering and tracking you, indexing your relationships (your tax, your NHS number, your passport…) and passing your information around Whitehall. Once on the database, you can never get off.

Stop the ID Card Con – inform yourself, and tell others:

DON'T BE A GUINEA PIG – REFUSE TO REGISTER

NO2ID is organising events in and around Manchester and providing resources to help spread the word. Please get involved – you could start by clicking on the picture to download our flyer, print it out and pass it on.

EVENTS | RESOURCES | GET INVOLVED