What if no one needed a passport?

[johnofgwent]

You've already got one for a driving licence, haven't you, with a mugshot? I know you don't have to carry, it, though.

What if you didn't need a passport to go on holiday, wouldn't that be more freedom?

Not if you have not moved house since they brought them in

the pink and green paper licence I had in 1997 after passing my bike test is still valid and will be until 2027. Lots of people forget this. 

on several occasions I've had to get the pensions ombudsman to play hardball with a wanker who demands photo Id. Up to now I've won every time. The next challenge will come in Jan/Feb

[Barry]

No ID card for me.

You've already got one for a driving licence, haven't you, with a mugshot? I know you don't have to carry, it, though.

What if you didn't need a passport to go on holiday, wouldn't that be more freedom?

[Nick]

Quite. A certain chap with limited vision tried to impose them at a cost of £30 and was told where to sling his hook. Too many people associate the demand with the phrase "ihre papieren, bitte" but the sick joke is those bastards now sit in white vans and work out who you are from facial recognition systems deemed illegal by the court but still used anyway.

Not bothered either way as long as it's a free issue. 

[johnofgwent]

No ID card for me.

Quite. A certain chap with limited vision tried to impose them at a cost of £30 and was told where to sling his hook. Too many people associate the demand with the phrase "ihre papieren, bitte" but the sick joke is those bastards now sit in white vans and work out who you are from facial recognition systems deemed illegal by the court but still used anyway.

[cromwell]

No ID card for me.

[Baff]

I've got 2 passports, both British as I require a lot of visa's. Bit difficult to put a visa on a driving license or CC

In this day of chip and pin shed loads of your data can be stored.
I could have all my government ID on one card easily. With all my health records on it too.
And my complete tax history.
 My assorted gun licenses, my CRB checks. My driving licenses, my passport visa's, bank details, bus passes and anything else they can think of.

[Baff]

I have shed loads of ID.

But I don't carry it except when I need to produce it.
Which is good, because if I did, I'd lose it.

Not carrying ID being a crime would pretty soon criminalise me.

I also don't wish to pay for even more ID.
Nor do I wish to be further restricted.

I do not wish to need a license to leave my home.

[Nick]

Before WW1 identity cards, papers or passports were not issued to many people at all. People did not need them and were able to travel freely.
There were times when people could travel freely from country to country, staying for as short or as long a time as they wished.

What if we returned to that situation? Would it be chaos.

On a personal level, I have three forms of ID with my photograph on them, passport, driving licence and bus pass.
I have other forms of ID without a photograph, such as a Debit/Credit card and membership cards.

Which direction do we want to move in? Towards less identification and allow anyone to go anywhere? Towards more identification?
As I already have 3 forms of government photo ID, I don't see any need for me to have a separate ID card.

Any thoughts?

I've got 2 passports, both British as I require a lot of visa's. Bit difficult to put a visa on a driving license or CC

[Barry]

Before WW1 identity cards, papers or passports were not issued to many people at all. People did not need them and were able to travel freely.
There were times when people could travel freely from country to country, staying for as short or as long a time as they wished.

What if we returned to that situation? Would it be chaos.

On a personal level, I have three forms of ID with my photograph on them, passport, driving licence and bus pass.
I have other forms of ID without a photograph, such as a Debit/Credit card and membership cards.

Which direction do we want to move in? Towards less identification and allow anyone to go anywhere? Towards more identification?
As I already have 3 forms of government photo ID, I don't see any need for me to have a separate ID card.

Any thoughts?