ID card rollout begins

[Ian Batten]

>
>> And if they do, it's hard to  think of a more convincing reason to  
>> ensure that a party that proposed  that the UK joins Schengen will  
>> be committing electoral suicide.
>
> Why's that - is the country at risk of overflowing with Americans  
> married to Frenchmen?

No, but the news that everyone who claims asylum in any EU country  
will have uncontested right of abode in the UK may cause some minor  
political ripples.

>
>
>> There are mechanisms by which country X can issue travel documents  
>> for citizens of country Y which might be acceptable in country Z,  
>> but they mostly apply to refugees and stateless persons.
>
> It's widely accepted that you can travel on a "European ID card".  
> Whatever the other issues involved, it is confusing if the UK is  
> proposing to issue an ID card which breaks that rule.

If we were members of Schengen.  Which we aren't, and so far as I know  
no political party is suggesting that we should be.  No ID card that  
the UK issues can offer Europe-wide travel without our joining  
Schengen, surely?

ian