Sir Keir Starmer has a challenge to convince people over digital ID plans (Image: The Guardian) If we're to treat survey results as gospel, I find myself in the minority on a big debate. It appears I am one of the very few in support of a 'digital ID' . It had taken me a while to come to this conclusion as, since the idea was explored under Tony Blair's government in 2005, I really wasn't sure what the point of the concept was. But 18 years later, I feel that an identification of some digital kind is necessary, and potentially lifesaving, as I'll explain here. The digital ID has been brought into the British political limelight again thanks to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. He wants to bring them in on a mandatory basis, as a way of proving we have a right to work in the UK. It forms part of his cunning plan to halt illegal migration and illegal labour - similar schemes are already in place abroad and are said to be doing well. According to a government pres...
Sir Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron earlier this year (Image: The Independent) Britain this summer was seemingly dominated by a wild debate about 'patriotism' - who is 'truly' patriotic, who is 'more' patriotic, and which patriotism is the 'right' patriotism. These are interesting questions to be had, and a part of me is glad we're having these discussions - it's healthy to understand what the consensus is every now and then. It started so well when England women's national team won the Euros . Even I was pleased for England. But then it appeared we swiftly moved on from that positive feeling, to something rather uncomfortable. Patriotism was given a completely different meaning, fuelled by digital and traditional media channels and several parts of the country. The situation around asylum seekers and refugees living in hotels has taken centre stage, and the UK government officials feel cornered, torn in the middle, struggling to strike a ...