Dear Editor,

Some time ago I asked the minister tasked with implementing the National Identification System (NIDS) why many countries, including Australia, Canada, Denmark, India, New Zealand, the United States, and the United Kingdom, did not have a national identification system. He seemed to struggle to answer appropriately and eventually said we were using Poland as a model.

After trying to find that country on the map I wondered what we had in common. What are the social and cultural similarities of both countries? I have yet to find them. The question remains: What do these countries, our traditional partners know or value that we don’t?

Nobody in the UK is required to carry any form of ID, it is a long-standing principle in English common law that people should be free to pursue their private life and only interfered with if they have done something wrong.

In fact, in the United States, no law requires citizens to carry identification of any kind. US citizens have historically opposed a national ID card as a violation of privacy and individual liberty. These are the same values and rights to which we traditionally cling dearly as a nation. Any erosion of such hard-won rights can only be a fair trade-off if the tangible benefits are of significant value.

A history of the incompetence of several government bodies makes me uncomfortable and unwilling to hand over personal data to any such entity. Particularly at a time when identity theft is on the increase and replacing stolen or misplaced identities could be a horrendous bugbear.

In any case, the amount of information required is much too much if the intention is merely to identify me. The threat of not being able to live a normal life and carry out normal activities if one does not conform is also very concerning.

R Nunes

ralstonnunes@gmail.com