This week we launched The NO2ID Pledge – a way for people to personally and publicly declare that they will refuse to comply with the government’s ID scheme. It says:

I solemnly and publicly promise that:

• I shall not register for a national identity card
• I shall not supply personal details or fingerprints to a National Identity Register
• I shall not apply for any document or service if joining the National Identity Register is a condition of obtaining it
• I shall not co-operate with any Identity and Passport Service interview concerning my identity.

I also promise by my example to encourage others to do the same.

The pledge is an act of *pre-emptive* resistance and is, as such, entirely legal. It’s something positive that you can do NOW. In fact, there’s not much ID law to break at present – most of the powers in the Identity Cards Act 2006 have yet to be brought into force. The government certainly hasn’t made it illegal to declare you’ll refuse to go along with its scheme.

The ID scheme is like a vampire. It has no life of its own, and thrives only if it feeds.

There is its weakness. We, collectively, can choose to starve the Identity and Passport Service. It only works smoothly if few are prepared to face some inconvenience to resist. It only works at all if a large majority of the population can be hypnotised into thinking that it is just routine, no big deal. If enough of us refuse to be bled willingly, the beast will either starve or show its fangs.

The NO2ID Pledge will lead to civil disobedience only if the government fails to see sense and scrap its monstrous ID scheme. The polls have long said millions will not submit to being numbered like cattle. Is the government really going to risk trying to make them beg to be branded?

To make pledging straightforward we have created The NO2ID Pledge certificate, for you to fill out and sign in front of a witness. You can find out more and download certificates from http://www.no2id.net/pledge/

Please don’t just print one copy… print five… or fifty and pass them on to people who you think might also pledge. The idea is to spread The NO2ID Pledge as far and as wide as possible.

Anyone can do it. Anyone can help others do it. And the more who do, the easier it is.

Note: This is a new pledge, if you signed our previous PledgeBank “refuse” pledge then you can still make this pledge.

Referring back to this post.

This entry was posted on Friday, December 7th, 2007 at 2:23 pm and is filed under How To, NIR.