Campaigners gear up to fight ID cards; Pilot comes to Merseyside in New Year.Byline: KEVIN CORE THE Home Office is planning a January launch date for identity cards in Merseyside. Yesterday, the Government launched the voluntary pilot for the scheme in Greater Manchester, but has now announced a New Year start across the rest of the North-West. It says they will be a cheaper alternative to passports and those who want one can carry a card or a passport, both or neither. But campaigners say Merseyside's economic recovery could be blighted by the introduction of cards and have scheduled a meeting in Liverpool to draw attention to what they call a "parasitic tax". NO2ID North of England coordinator James Elsdon-Baker said: "What businesses across Merseyside need at the moment is help and support to get out of the recession. "This scheme is not really voluntary. There is no way once you are on the database to get off. If you change your mind, then it is tough luck. "The small print shows it ties you to a lifetime of bureaucracy and self-reporting under pain of penalty, at pounds 1,000 a pop. The scheme will represent a parasitic tax on business which will risk being accused of 'failing to adequately establish identity' if they do not fall in line." Campaigners have organised a meeting in Tuebrook to urge the city not to become a "guinea pig guinea pig (gĭn`ē), domesticated form of the cavy, Cavia porcellus, a South American rodent. It is unrelated to the pig; the name may refer to its shrill squeal. " in future voluntary schemes. Cllr Steve Radford Steve Radford is a British politician, and is the current leader of the Liberal Party. Radford is also a long-standing Liverpool city councillor, and leader of the three-strong Liberal group on the council. said: "As a young man, I campaigned against pass laws Pass laws in South Africa were designed to segregate the population and were one of the dominant features of the country's apartheid system. Introduced in South Africa in 1923, they were designed to regulate movement of black Africans into urban areas. in South Africa South Africa, Afrikaans Suid-Afrika, officially Republic of South Africa, republic (2005 est. pop. 44,344,000), 471,442 sq mi (1,221,037 sq km), S Africa. . I never dreamed one day I might, as a British citizen, have to carry an ID card. "The idea of 250,000 civil servants holding all my personal history is a gross offence and intrusion and flies in the face of our way of life." A spokeswoman for the Identity and Passport Service The Identity and Passport Service is an Executive Agency of the Home Office in the United Kingdom which became operational on 1 April 2006 after the passing of the Identity Cards Act 2006. said: "At pounds 30, an ID card will offer an affordable identity document when compared to a standard passport at pounds 77.50. "In practice, we expect many people will choose to have both. "As with passports, it will be for individuals to decide if they want to have an ID card." OPINION: PAGE 10 CAPTION(S): Identity card protesters yesterday |
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