Scrap Identity Cards Now

Posted By: Alan Taylor
Date Posted: 27/05/2009

I am sure that the majority of people in our Borough are now aware that Greater Manchester has been selected to test-pilot the Government’s ID card scheme. The Liberal Democrats in Rochdale and across Greater Manchester are firmly opposed to these plans.

Rochdale does not need ID cards. The Government estimates that the scheme will cost well over £1.5Billion which we, the taxpayer, will have to pay through our noses for. ID cards will not stop illegal immigration, identity fraud, crime or terrorism. The Government has already proven that they cannot be trusted with our personal data and yet, they want to build their most intrusive database yet.

The Liberal Democrats both locally and nationally are the only party who have consistently been committed to ending this Labour Government’s expensive, unnecessary and invasive ID Card scheme. The Liberal Democrats in Rochdale believe that we should be getting rid of Labour’s expensive, illiberal and ineffective ID card scheme and instead we should be paying for more police on our streets. With the country going into an ever deeper depression after 12 years of Labour’s mismanagement of our economy, I urge Gordon Brown to scrape this ID card fiasco and instead concentrate on creating more jobs for the people of our town.