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Union flag left off identity cards after concern over nationalist rights

Thursday, 30 July 2009

Home Secretary Alan Johnson reveals the design at St Pancras Station of the National Identity Card card which is to be issued to members of the public for the first time later this year

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Unionists in new ID card uproar over removal of Union flag

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The union flag has been left off the controversial national identity card in order to recognise the "identity rights" of Irish nationals living in Northern Ireland.

The final design of the identity card was unveiled today in London by Home Secretary Alan Johnson.

A Home Office statement said the ID card scheme must work in a way that "fully recognises the identity rights of the people of Northern Ireland as laid out in the Belfast Agreement".

The Government went on to say it had "sought to design features which can reflect all parts of the United Kingdom, such as the inclusion of the shamrock to represent Ireland within the tactile feature, and we have sought to avoid symbols such as flags".

Irish citizens living in Northern Ireland will be issued with a version of the identity card which will differ from that issued to British citizens.

The Home Office has also assured those who hold Irish nationality or dual citizenship that they will continue be able to apply for an Irish passport even though they are on the UK national identity register.

Speaking at St Pancras Station in central London, Mr Johnson said the card would provide people with a "safe and secure" way of proving their identity.

The cards will help combat identity fraud, enable the holder to travel to Europe without their passports and remove the hassle of using bank statements or gas bills to show who you are, he said.

Mr Johnson spoke as he set off for Manchester where the cards will become available later this year.

He said: "The identity card is a safe, secure and simple way for people to protect and prove their identity and to travel around Europe but leave their passport at home.

"Given the growing problem of ID fraud and the inconvenience of having to carry passports coupled with gas bills or six months worth of bank statements to prove identity, I believe the ID card will be welcomed as an important addition to the many plastic cards that most people already carry."

On the front of each card is the holder's name, picture, date of birth, sex and signature.

Like the UK passport, it also displays your nationality, where it was issued and when it expires.

A chip embedded in the back of the card holds a digital image of the holder's face and two fingerprints.

The front of the card also displays the royal crest as well as the thistle, the rose, the shamrock and the daffodil to represent the four parts of the UK.

The cards will be made available across the north west of England early next year and across the country in 2011-12.

The Tories have pledged to scrap the scheme saying it is a waste of money.

Mr Johnson said the cards had widespread public support.

"Every time we ask the public 'do you think this is a good step forward, they agree.

"This is a no-brainer."

Last month the Home Office signalled a major climbdown on the cards, stating for the first time that they would never be made compulsory.

Plans to require 20,000 airport workers at Manchester and London City airports to carry cards were also dropped in the face of union opposition.

Critics say ID cards are unnecessary, expensive and an infringement of civil liberties.

The overall cost of the cards, biometric passports and the database to hold the personal information on is predicted at £5 billion over 10 years.

Figures released by the Tories today showed the Home Office has already spent £215 million on the scheme.

Shadow home secretary Chris Grayling said: "The Government has already wasted £200 million that we cannot afford.

"The scheme will cost hundreds of million pounds more, even if the cards are voluntary. It is time this scheme was completely scrapped. "

He added: "Alan Johnson today launches a wing and a prayer scheme based on the hope that people across the North West will sign up for a glossy ID card, and send a message to their counterparts in other parts of the country that the ID card is the hottest property since Susan Boyle."

Anyone who wants a card will pay to have their details collected by high street stores on top of the £30 cost of the card.

Once on the database, failure to keep your details up to date could lead to a fine of up to £1000.

Phil Booth, national co-ordinator of campaign group NO2ID said: "People should read the small print and avoid the con.

"This so-called voluntary scheme means a lifetime of fees and penalties and once you are on the database you never get off."

Around 50,000 foreign nationals have been given their version of the ID card since the cards were introduced last year.

Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman Chris Huhne said: "It doesn't matter how fancy the packaging is when the product is a colossal waste of money that achieves nothing.

"A designer piece of plastic is not going to combat identity fraud, crime or terrorism. This intrusive scheme should be scrapped immediately."

A poll conducted by human rights campaign group Liberty found six out of 10 people said they were unlikely to volunteer for a card.

Only one in 10 said they would definitely apply for one, while a fifth said they probably would.

Pollsters found 77% said the UK had become a "surveillance society" and 68% said the Government and other public bodies already hold too much information about them.

Campaigns coordinator Sabina Frediani said the North West was being made an "ID card guinea pig".

She said: "How many times can you re-design and re-launch this tired old policy?

"When will the Government realise that there is dwindling public support for a scheme that is as costly to our pockets as to our privacy and race relations?

"I am delighted to say that this damning poll shows that northerners are as sceptical of this ID nonsense as the rest of Britain."

YouGov polled 1,731 adults across the UK earlier this week.

Comments

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130 Comments

To all those here suggesting a new official regional flag for Northern Ireland then here is my design proposal:
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:United_northern_ireland_flag.svg

It is very similar both in terms of colour to the tourist board logo, and likewise includes a hexagon (a symbol also already used by many NI government departments). It also incorporates a St. Patrick's Cross (I don't think a St. Patrick's Cross can be used alone as a NI flag because St. Patrick's Cross is an all-Ireland flag).

Maybe the Bele Tele can do some sort of feature highlighting possible designs like this?

Posted by Paul | 23.08.09, 03:07 GMT

France has its Tri-colour flag , Russia has its flag, do these countries refrain from using their national flag on their official identity documents so as not to offend over sensitive ethnic minorites,the answer is no.
I would say, accept the culture and symbols of the country that you live in .

Posted by Stevie | 01.08.09, 14:35 GMT

No Union Flag on the ID card incase it offends Irish Nationalists living in Northern Ireland , part of the United Kingdom.
In this age of political correctness , it must be so diificult to tip toe through the tulips, trying not to offend people.
Trying not to offend people who live in the United Kingdom, but have an allegiance to another country.
It begs the question that if the symbols of the United Kingdom ie the Union Flag , offend these people , then why are these people living in a country whose symbols they find offensive ?

Posted by Stevie | 01.08.09, 14:32 GMT

Never mind the volume of personal data that these cards will contain should it ever become madatory to carry one, what is of the utmost importance is that it displays the Union Flag!. Would you ever grow up & crawl back into your hole and give our heads peace. Should the current 'Labor Dictatorship' with its fixation for collecting information on us all ever decide to impliment this idea, we in the North will be far too busy fighting over trivialities such as a flag or our birth rite to relise that our civil liberties are been further eroded to the extent that they no longer exist. If you wish to display your Britishness or Irishness then go and purchase the appropriate passport. Once we set foot of this island we are regarded by other nations as being Irish, not British, but Irish.

Posted by Michael | 01.08.09, 02:21 GMT

Flags, flags, flags - grow up - they are meaningless to most people.
Also, all those Unionists who object to the omission of the union flag reflect on this - it is the decision of your own dear queens government - get used to being ignored. You are viewed here in Britain as, at best, "quaint" and at worst as out of touch fossils from a bygone age.

Posted by Terence | 01.08.09, 01:28 GMT

How does one get one of these Shamrock cards??

Posted by Con, New York | 01.08.09, 00:35 GMT

I'm a protestant from Belfast. However I feel we have to be honest and realise that in N.Ireland we have divided loyalties when it comes to nationality. Some of us see ourselves as British, others as Irish and some others like myself regard themselves as being North Irish. I would prefer some sort of N.Ireland symbol such as the excellent one used by the tourist board featuring a shamrock with a red hand of Ulster in the middle.

Posted by Roy | 31.07.09, 23:42 GMT

Is it any wonder we are still the 'laughing stock' of the western world ?

N.I is certain to continue on its sad journey BACKWARDS, due to its significant number of cavemen.......

Posted by seymour gloom | 31.07.09, 22:16 GMT

Why is everyone so worked up about this issue. The Tories will be in power next year and have promised to scrap the whole scheme. There are more important things to worry about .Catch yourselves on.

Posted by archie gee | 31.07.09, 21:03 GMT

Hillarious, I would consider the governments decision to be a pragmatic one. Unionists barking up the wrong tree, now there is a surprise. This comment is brought to you from a Unionist background just incase I get accused of being biased.

Posted by M S | 31.07.09, 20:26 GMT

why is everyone so worked up about this issue. Tthe tories are going to get in next year and are going to scrap the whole idea. Cheers.

Posted by archie gee | 31.07.09, 20:24 GMT

Oh, for God's sake, half the world's population are starving to death and we have this.

Posted by Honest Joe | 31.07.09, 20:19 GMT

Andrea are you actually serious in your "reasoning", "I'm Irish - like all the people that are living on this island ", there are people of all different Nationalities living on this island, they are not all Irish just because they live on this island. If this were the case then everyone in Scotland would be English, Everyone in Canada would be American by Nationality, everyone in Portugal would be Spanish, catch my drift ? Your comment has absolutely no credibility or makes no sense whatsoever. Irish you may be and that's wonderful for you but don't dare try and label everyone else the same, it is extremely narrow minded and not your place to do so.

Posted by Seamus | 31.07.09, 19:57 GMT

This is hilarious, keep it up I m having a great laugh!

Posted by Shane | 31.07.09, 18:24 GMT

Who cares! Its voluntary and regardless of the flag that appears on the card, anybody with half a brain will not register for an ID card.
Anyway, this stupid scheme will be abolished once Labour are booted out of government.
end of!

Posted by Aaron | 31.07.09, 17:16 GMT

Is 'British' even a Nationality? Britain isn't a country after all? So why aren't you all cryng that the European flag isn't on them? We're all European aren't we??

Posted by Mark | 31.07.09, 17:11 GMT

Niall how can you state racist policies in the incident mentioned when indigenous Irish and British are both the same race ??? Unless however your Grandfather was actually a different race then please accept my apologies but note that peoples race has absolutely nothing to do with their Nationality in a lot of cases. Could i also mention that this was over 50 years ago and it is now 2009, therefore completely irrelevant to todays society in the United Kingdom, xx.

Posted by Sinead | 31.07.09, 16:48 GMT

David Barbour- did you actually use America as an example of identity? You Sir, are a fool.

Posted by Stephen J | 31.07.09, 16:41 GMT

With all due respect Sean from County Down, those are 6 words not three. I am disgusted at your lack of respect for other people, while these Titles may have no meaning to you or other republicans, they hold significant meaning to many, many others and are Internationally recognised and used. You have your own choice whether or not to use these titles but to belittle and demean them shows that you have no respect or value for any people of British culture whatsover, yet you expect this value and respect from them. I for one (and i am Catholic by the way) cannot believe that your comment which is bigoted and full of hatred and disrespect allowed to be posted. Shame on you (and be aware the whole world can read your comment, think of how you must appear to others) and shame on the Belfast Telegraph for allowing such inflammatory comments.

Posted by Sean Logue | 31.07.09, 16:31 GMT

"I assume this is the same Lord Maginnis that during the Mad Cow disease outbreak claimed that although he was BRITISH his cows were IRISH, he should be on the stage."

I literally laughed out loud!

Posted by Chris | 31.07.09, 16:18 GMT