ID card rollout begins

[Ian Batten]

On 27 Sep 2008, at 13:07, Roland Perry wrote:

> In article <08D41155-335B-49C4-B960-ECA212A63E7B@batten.eu.org>, Ian  
> Batten <igb@batten.eu.org> writes
>>>
>>>> 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.
>
> Firstly, the people in question are those married to EEA nationals.

I thought the intent is to issue the cards to everyone who has right  
of abode in the UK.  Which will include a wide range of classes of  
people who aren't married to EEA nationals.

>
> Secondly, the majority of people I meet "online" are quite keen to  
> join Schengen as they see it as a way of reducing bureaucracy when  
> crossing the channel. But they may not be representative of the  
> population as a whole.

In other news, test marketing your new mass market product on slashdot  
proves to be a bad idea.  Think of the last time you and I met face to  
face.  Look around the room.  How representative of the population at  
large was that?  How many other people in that postcode were wearing  
climbing boots?

>
> I wasn't aware that the ID-card acceptability was linked that  
> closely to Schengen. Other Europeans can travel to the UK on their  
> National ID cards, despite us not being in Schengen.

I didn't know that.

ian