Sunday, August 30, 2009

The terrorist state comes closer

No2ID has put a full-page ad in The Spectator (p.47) saying that the Home Office plans to make issuing your next passport conditional on your agreeing to be on their super-database.

Wikipedia says, "All British passports are issued in the exercise of discretion by Her Majesty's Government under the Royal Prerogative. In any event, discretion must be exercised reasonably and not on a whim, and even though there is no statute governing the issue of passports, such prerogative powers are susceptible to the normal processes of judicial review (Council of Civil Service Unions v Minister for the Civil Service [1985] AC 374)."

I've read somewhere that there was a time when the British could travel abroad without a passport. And according to "Stiggy" on the No2ID message board, it's still legal to do so - I'd be interested to know if this is so, and how it could be done.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

I believe passports as we have come to accept them today were only introduced during the second world war.

pedant2007 said...

One place where this assertion is made is in the first few pages of A. J. P. Taylor's "History of England in the 20th Century" (if I have the title right, for it is many years since I read it). He asserts that, at the time he was writing, any British subject still had the right to leave and enter the UK without a passport, but "the authorities try to conceal this fact". I suppose they might require some other form of identification, though, to establish that the traveller is a British subject.

Sackerson said...

Thank you, both. I haven't yet come across any example of someone travelling without ID or safe conduct letter.

Anonymous said...

The right still exists. The Home Office issued draft legislation at the end of last year to wipe it away, while notionally confirming it.

Anonymous said...

Anon @ 6.55: "The Home Office issued draft legislation at the end of last year to wipe it away, while notionally confirming it."

A Right! You mean this government is not actually trying to shower us with 'Rights' but is really curtailing our rights.

Well, who would have thought it. The cheeky monkeys.

Anonymous said...

In the 1980's I took my wife, two daughters and a female niece on a camping holiday in France. On arrival at Dover dock, I asked for all their passports. The niece announced that hers was at home, eighty miles away.

The niece did have her student card with her, so we continued on our way. For two weeks, we travelled around north France by car and tent, without a problem.

Upon return to Dover, I briefly explained the situation to the Immigration Officer and drove off. The Immigration Officer looked quite cross but no attempt was made to stop our entry.

A David

Weekend Yachtsman said...

Yawn. This has been well known to be part of the ID cards racket for quite some time.

It will start with Passports and driving licences.

Then it will get extended to the opening of a bank account.

In the end, you won't be able to get on a bus without producing something that can only be obtained by having all your details put onto NuLab's database.

None of this is a secret.

And Cameron won't change it, either.

Sackerson said...

"Papiere!"
"Sus papeles!"
"Arrest that man!"