Flag omission angers unionists
THE Home Office has denied that the Union Flag had been left off the new national ID card to "recognise Irish identity rights".
A report in the Guardian — after the official unveiling of the controversial cards yesterday — said that Government officials had taken the decision to exclude flags in a bid to cater to Irish sensibilities.
The Home Office was quoted as saying the scheme must work in a way which "fully recognises the identity rights of the people of Northern Ireland as laid out in the Belfast Agreement".
It also stated that it "sought to avoid symbols such as flags".
Instead, the controversial cards — which bear the holder's name, picture, date of birth, sex and signature, as well as an embedded chip containing a digital image of the holder's face and two fingerprints — show the Royal Coat of Arms.
An image incorporating a thistle, a rose, a shamrock and a daffodil, to represent the four parts of the UK, is also displayed.
A Home Office spokesman last night said the national flag was not included as it is not an EU requirement.
"The national symbol used on the card is the Royal Crest which is currently used on the UK passport," he said.
"A national crest rather than a flag is specified within the EC Regulation."
But Lagan Valley DUP MP Jeffrey Donaldson said that the exclusion of the Union Flag was "disappointing".
"I think that for a Prime Minister who once urged people to fly the Union Flag in their gardens and talked about being proud of Britishness, it is disappointing that he and his Government don't see fit to include such an important national symbol as our flag on the ID card," he said.
The decision had "much to do with political correctness and little to do with offence", he argued.
The former Junior Minister also questioned the worth of having a different identity card for those who view themselves as Irish citizens.
Known as a "personal ID card" it will not record an individual's nationality and so cannot be used as a travel document, however, as they will be registered on the national database, it will still be an acceptable form of ID.
Home Secretary Alan Johnson unveiled the new cards in London yesterday, saying they would provide a "safe and secure" way to help combat identity fraud.
The 30 cards are to be trialled in Manchester, before being rolled out nationwide in 2011 or 2012 – but will not be compulsory.
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Monday 28 May 2012
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