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Comment by nephihaha | Hacker News Reader

"There's much more to the story because the UK has many digital ID aspects already in place-- such as for work visas and residence permits-- but these not coordinated into a whole."

They're determined to bring it in and will attempt to gradually. You need an ID for so many things in the UK so it is a lie in some ways.

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I haven't shown my photocard drivers license in literally years to anyone, other than renewing it.

I normally just use Birthcert and Utility bills.

Photo ID is common already. Not just driving licences (with a "c") and passports, but in numerous other forms. In Scotland, young people have to prove their age continually, and they have a choice of these or state issued photo bus passes, Young Scot cards (no idea who issues these but commonly used as ID) and student IDs. They're definitely being conditioned into it.

I mean yeah they will have to show it if they’re buying booze, cigs, or getting a discounted travel ticket. But I don’t think that’s unreasonable, and “conditioning” feels overly dramatic.

Would you rather there were no age checks?

They aren't getting a discounted travel ticket, they're getting free bus travel in return for carrying around a photo ID all the time. (I don't agree with fourteen and fifteen year olds being able to travel on the bus for free at ten or eleven at night on Friday or Saturday and getting up to no good on the public coin. It was sold to the public as a school bus replacement and/or reducing car use. It is an obvious attempt to normalise ID cards.)

TBH, I don't care generally what happens up in Scotland.

I live in Scotland, and the scenario here is pretty similar to England.

If you live here you hear about England non-stop on the news. In fact, many papers and news channels report England-only developments as if they apply to the rest of the UK.

I generally don't pay attention to the news at all anymore (the vast majority of it is rage bait). I think the last time I paid attention to the BBC news when it was on when the Bibby Stockholm Barge was being moored in Portland. The way the news anchor was talking about it, was as if it was full of Zombies with the T-Virus on-board. While the footage just had a tugboat pulling a barge. It was utterly ridiculous.

Outside of that the news seems to be very focused on what happens in London/Westminster, Ukraine, Palestine or Trump. I don't really care about any of those.

I only pretty much care about things like Digital ID and stuff like OSA.

However Scotland (much like Northern Island) seems like it own little weird microcosm.

I don't really understand the political landscape outside of England and whenever I see statements made by the main party up there (the SNP) they seem to be utterly ridiculous jingoist anti-English nonsense that feels like it stems from Braveheart. I am not going to listen to a politician that basically painting me out to be the enemy, which is odd since most Scottish people I've spoken to are quite friendly.

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