Yes as an ex patriot i left england 22yrs ago and came to usa.It's sad what is happening over there,It has be come the George Orwell country.more cctv than any other country.I have noticed that the english attitude seems to be let the government run our lives.No one ever seems to protest?Even tho its a democracy. Where are you immigrating to? many countries have some sort of i'd cards now day's. It's just the way it is. Gone are the days of trust as so many people have abused it. Identity theft, credit card scams,immigration,and terrorism. I'm not sure of any other way. Just one mans opinion.

Your observations are accurate; too many brits like the idea of "total government" and behave in a bovine like manner when it comes to these things, they just want the government to run their lives for them. One thing made me laugh last night when the shadow home secretary said most people see Orwell's "1984" as a warning; New Labour see it as a template!

As in America, the politics of fear reign here; make people scared and you can gain more power for yourself. The more scared you make 'em, the more power you can acrue. Indeed ID cards are tangible manifestations of this; not only do they make the people accountable to the state as opposed to the opposite, they are devisive by definition - if you have nothing to hide you have nothing to fear...trust no one. A suspect nation indeed.

I for one will not apply for a license to live in my own 'effin country! The only way they will make me carry their ID card is when they press one into my cold, dead hand.

It is true that most European counties have ID cards in some form. Out of 16 who them by compulsion, 14 introduced them when they were under dictatorships. The UK ID card scheme is part of a wider scheme, the National Identity Register which is the worlds biggest database and this is the true idea behind the scheme, not the cards themselves. It is the most powerful mass surveilance tool ever envisaged and is unique in all the world in its nature, scope and power.

To be fair, many of us do protest. Indeed last week the government had to abandon national road pricing after 2 million people signed a petition against citing mass surveillance (devices would need to fittied to vehicles allowing journeys to be tracked by satellite) and also as yet another stealth tax and there is NO2ID:stop ID cards and the database state which is a pressure group opposed to ID cards.

Many people feel like I do and just want to get out. Indeed emigration figures show people are leaving by the million (literally). I read on these forums about how things are in other countries, how safe, what goes on etc. Well I live in Liverpool and I can tell you that the things we take for granted here, everyday experiences and events, if wrtten in the context of some remote, exotic sounding country would shock and sicken travellers and certainly put off travellers from coming here!

As to where I am going? EVERYWHERE! lol which is why I'm on this forum. If I do settle in Europe it would be Aosta which is semi automonous and in Italy, they take no notice of the government anyway! Apart from that the only country which I may consider would be British Columbia based on never having been there (yet!)

PS if any hubbers are contemplating coming to Liverpool for its European Capital of Culture celebrations - DON'T.

A local bylaw makes it illeagal to park a motorcycle on the road, anywhere but the designated multi story carpark, (in)conveniently located away from the city centre and in one location where the bike thieves can easily choose which of them to steal.

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If like me you're an ex-pat Brit you WON'T be eligable for an ID card. This means if you ever go back to the UK, you'll be a Brit without ID, and whilst it' not going to be compuslory (they say) just imagine how much fun it'll be when your bank/shops etc start demanding it...

And don't start me on biometric passports and applying for them when you're an ex-pat.

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Hi fastship , sorry to burst your bubble but British Columbia is not a country , it's a province of Canada .
Canada inherited British beaurocracy and then added another layer of stupidity .
Taxes are high and personal liberty /property rights are less than UK [ or it was when I left UK a few years back ].
Health care coverage is archaic .
There is lots of space here and fantastic scenery which makes it bearable , generally speaking people are more laid back then in Britain .
There are crowds in the cities down south ,crime,drugs and racial gang problems same as any big city anywhere else in the world.
I imagine they want to put CCTV [and associated crap like that] in parts of Vancouver as well , I imagine the good citizens think it's a good idea .
Up here in the north ,the rednecks would probably shoot the lenses out of the cameras.
I prefer to be up north .

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Blessed are the cracked, for they let in the light. - Spike Milligan
"When you come to a fork in the road ,take it ! When you come to a spoon in the road ,take that also ."

OH and just to point out it's non-EU RESIDENTS who will require one, not non-EU visitors.

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I know that! - I have family there, one in the RCMP too.

But thanks for bursting my bubble surely there is someplace I can find to be happy! Hey - maybe I am a redneck too :confused1:

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Hey - maybe I am a redneck too :confused1:[/QUOTE]

Then I imagine you'll "fit in" very well ! - ha ha !
Good luck in your choice of country , there's a whole bunch to chose from , just keep on travelling until you find one you like .

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Blessed are the cracked, for they let in the light. - Spike Milligan
"When you come to a fork in the road ,take it ! When you come to a spoon in the road ,take that also ."

This is all a bit much from someone in a country which has the illegally operated Guantanamo Bay, kidnaps people, tortures the inmates, denies them lawyer contact, takes them to a kangaroo court, and which operates the most invasive surveillance on its citizens. To say nothing of plotting (against its own laws) to murder heads of state it doesnt like.

I dont like the amount of surveillance in the UK either, but dont pretend that you live in a free country.