Marvellous Mabel, UK News, UK Politics
Marvellous Mabel – Say No to Digital ID Petition
Oct
The Government responds to the “Say NO to Digital ID” Petition in the UK
Right, That’s It! Put the Kettle On, Dears. We Need to Talk About This Digital ID Codswallop!
Now, pull up a chair. No, not that rickety one, the good one with the comfy cushion. I’ve just put the kettle on and the Rich Teas are in the tin. I find a good biscuit is essential when one is about to get thoroughly, incandescently, and patriotically cross.
And believe you me, I am cross!
Hi I’m Mabel
This is me, I’m Unashamedly 93!
Say NO to Digital ID Petition UK
I was just sitting here in my favourite armchair, reading the news on my little tablet thingy (my grandson, bless his cotton socks, insists I ‘stay connected’). I was minding my own business, enjoying the peace and quiet, when I came across the Government’s official response to that petition. You know the one. The “Say no to Digital ID” petition.
Well, I nearly snorted my tea up my nose. Their reply is pathetic. It’s vague as a weather forecast, full of empty promises, like a politician swearing they’ll fix the potholes. They’re hoping we’ll just keep calm and carry on knitting.
But I’m not that daft. My eyes might be a bit dodgy, but I can spot a steaming pile of political poppycock from a mile off. And this, my friends, is a prize-winner.
Nealy 3 Million!
The petition, at last count, had been signed by nearly three million people. Three. Million. That’s more people than live in Manchester. More than Birmingham and Leeds combined.
To put in into perspective (for Rachel Reeves from accounts) . . . If we all decided to have a street party, we’d need a road stretching from London to Edinburgh just to fit us all in.
How did the UK Government Respond to the “Say NO to Digital ID” Petition?
Will Digital ID be Mandatory in the UK?
Remember when they said you wouldn’t need a card to get cash out of the bank? Now try finding a bank branch that’s actually open. Remember when everything wasn’t online? Now try taxing your car or applying for a passport with a bit of paper and a stamp.
Why is the UK Government Introducing The “Brit Card”?
A History Lesson
From a Dame Who Was There
The spirit of this nation, the very bedrock of our culture, is one of stubborn, glorious individualism. We are a nation of eccentrics, of gardeners, of people who queue politely and grumble under our breath.
An Englishman’s home is his castle. We don’t take kindly to being told what to do, and we certainly don’t take kindly to the state poking its nose into every corner of our lives.
It’s a Bridge too Far!
This Digital ID nonsense is profoundly un-British. It’s an import, a continental idea that has no place on these shores. It’s the sort of thing you’d expect from some soulless, bureaucratic superstate, not from the land of Shakespeare, Churchill, and a good cup of tea.
They are forgetting that their power is on loan from us, the people. We give them our consent to govern at the ballot box. And what we give, we can most certainly take away. That consent is conditional. It is based on them respecting our ancient rights and liberties. The right to privacy. The right to go about our business without being tracked. The right to be a person, not a data point.
By ignoring nearly three million voices, they are treating that consent with contempt. They are acting less like servants of the people and more like lords of the manor, looking down on the peasants from the big house.
Well, I’m ready to give them a piece of my mind, and it’s not the polite bit.
Beam me up!
Now, I’m not one for daft conspiracy theories. I don’t think the world is run by lizards (the ones in Westminster are slippery enough, thank you very much). But I do have a healthy dose of common sense, and my common sense tells me that when something smells this fishy, it’s usually because there’s a rotten kipper under the floorboards.
Why are they so desperate to push this through, despite the overwhelming public opposition?
Could it be about money? Of course. Think of the enormous, eye-watering contracts that will be handed out to tech companies to build and run this system. Companies who, I’m sure, have very good friends in very high places.
But it’s more than money. It’s about control.
It sounds like something out of a science fiction book, doesn’t it? But look around the world. These systems are being built. This is the toolkit for a social credit system. And they are trying to lay the foundations for it right here, in our green and pleasant land. It’s like a bad dystopian novel, but they’re starting it right here. They call it “convenience,” but they want us on a digital leash.
Why are the Risks of a Digital ID?
Imagine a future where this Digital ID is linked to your bank account. And your social media. And your medical records.
Say the wrong thing online? Perhaps your ability to travel is restricted.
Buy too much red meat or a bottle of wine when they’ve decided it’s bad for you? Perhaps your health insurance premium goes up.
- Say something they don’t like? Sorry, no bus to Margate.
- Buy too many sausages? Your insurance spikes.
- Go to a protest? Your account’s frozen like my joints in February.
- It’s like a bad dystopian novel, but they’re starting it right here. They call it “convenience,” but they want us on a digital leash.
Can I Say NO to the Digital ID Card?
Right. That’s enough of me on my soapbox. My tea’s gone cold and the biscuits are looking at me accusingly.
It’s easy to feel helpless. To think that these people in their ivory towers will do whatever they want, regardless of what we think. But that, my dears, is exactly what they want you to believe. They want us to be apathetic. To sigh, to give in, and to download the app when the time comes.
We cannot let that happen. The spirit that saw us through the Blitz wasn’t built on apathy. We are a nation of lions, and it’s about time we roared. So, what’s a good Brit to do?
- Write to your MP. And I don’t mean a quick email. I mean a proper letter, with a stamp. Let them feel the weight of the paper. Let them know you are a real person, not an email address they can easily delete. Remind them, politely but firmly, that they work for you and you will not be ignored.
- Talk to people. Talk to your neighbours over the garden fence. Talk to the man in the post office. Talk to your children and grandchildren. Many people have no idea this is happening, or they’ve swallowed the “convenience” line. We need to wake them up.
- Use Cash. The digital pound is the other side of this coin. By using cash, you are casting a vote for privacy and freedom every single day. It’s a small act of rebellion, but millions of small acts become a revolution.
- Refuse to Comply. When the time comes, and they start offering you the “convenient” Digital ID, just say no. Be the awkward one. Be the grit in the machine.
They have ignored three million of us. Let’s see them try and ignore ten million. Or twenty. Let’s show them that the British people are not a flock of sheep to be tagged and herded.
They have forgotten who they work for. It’s our solemn, patriotic duty to remind them.
Right, I’m off to find my best Basildon Bond writing paper and a fountain pen. My MP is about to receive a letter that will make his ears burn.
Stay feisty, my dears. And don’t let the rotters grind you down.
Toodle-pip!
Mabel X
