Photo ID is now needed for UK elections

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Buying alcohol in supermarkets is more strict here now. They have signs up saying if you look under 25 you need to show ID. Many don't adhere to it and I often see young lads buying alcohol through the self check outs when i go shopping. But no doubt some shops follow the rule and make it harder. Pubs here have always had a fairly relaxed take on things. It's part of the culture.

It blows my mind regarding elections. With rights come responsibilities. If people want to vote, they get ID, usually long before voting age.

You don’t have photos for NHS, school ID, or driving licences?

I’m totally flummoxed.

How can you say there’s no voter fraud in USA or UK if anyone can walk in with your voting card and pretend they’re you?

I remember buying beer and wine back in summer camp. I had just turned 14.

Here that'd be pretty unthinkable.

The Poles in the adjacent camp partied on a whole another level though...

Not to go off on too much of a tangent but alcohol rules here I the UK are pretty relaxed.. some say too relaxed

Don't need ID for NHS and there is no such thing as school ID

Full driving licenses yes you need a photo, but ot costs an awful lot of money to take lessons and pass your test so tons of people in late teens and early 20's don't have one. Also many people living in big cities don't have them.

Provisional licenses which anyone can apply for costs money and has no photo

Here we have ID cards that look the same as the driving license, minus the driving privelege. Issued the same way at the same place. $10 for the plain ID card, $32 for the driver's license. At that cost there is no excuse not to have one.

There is no driving instruction requirement for persons of legal age (18+). Each applicant is however required to pass a 2 part exam, theory and driving, as well as a vision test. I haven't had to do it since age 16 though, since I've kept my license current... I'd hope the vision test comes first.

Again I'm gobsmacked. How do you prove who you are for medical services? If you're walking down the street and get hit by a car they wouldn't even know if you're insured? You could carry someone else's non-photo ID and be treated?

Regarding school, what about college and uni? Students need to scan photo ID for campus security, to get into pubs and dormitory buildings, to use campus services, and to sit exams. Couldn't someone sit an entire class and / or an exam for someone else to earn the degree? Student cards also give students discounted rates on the bus or train service.

Pubs can be sued tens of thousands or even shut down if they serve underaged patrons, even if it's 30 minutes before their birthday (midnight). In Quebec we can buy a limited assortment of alcohol products in (some) supermarkets but even then, there are special tills you have to use and you have to show ID even if you're buying your weekly groceries and a six pack of beer. Other provinces only sell alcohol in government regulated beer / liquor stores. Young looking people need ID for lottery tickets, cigarettes, and marijuana dispensaries. If weed or alcohol are ordered and delivered to our home, we show photo ID at the door. We even need it to return things we buy online, or to collect curbside pickups which we order online. They want to ensure they give the goods to the right person. It's about accountability, not just on a government level but in business when you order / receive goods.

Beyond driving licences we have photo ID for health insurance and most people have a passport or other Age-Of-Majority identification. Sorry if I'm kind of going on a tangent but I really don't understand how a society functions without photo ID. We use it to rent anything from a Blockbuster movie to a car or an AirBnB, so the wrong person won't be held responsible for damages. I bought my daughter a new phone yesterday and they needed my ID as the plan holder, and her ID as the person on the account. Otherwise they couldn't just make changes to an account and hold me responsible. We need photo ID to receive or send packages at the post office. They can't just give your mail to someone else. That's a federal offence. I know places function differently but imo it's astonishing that people could just walk around unidentified as frequently as you describe.

Getting ID is easy. We have programs here for everyone from transients, to new immigrants, to homeless people. Considering how many people take thousands of selfies every day and post them all over the world, I'm surprised they or their government might think it's a big deal to turn those photos into proper ID. Some places here including the passport office allow people to upload their own photos, which are double-checked by facial recognition programs. We also have people sign as guarantors and they're responsible if we try to BS the system.

Insured? For what? We have the NHS, we don't need insurance

Apart from using a passport getting in or out of the country, I’ve never been asked for ID in 66 years. One of the few things to be proud of in this country. Attempts to introduce a national ID scheme have never gone down well.

I am in my 40's and the only photo ID I have, and have ever had, are my driving license, which costs hundreds, if not more than £1000 to obtain, and my passport, which costs I think £85 to get and around 20% of the country don't have.

Passport aside when leaving the country, I don't remember being asked for photo ID in my adult life. Maybe there is an occasion I am forgetting

NHS is medical insurance. If you go to your doctor's surgery or a hospital, how do you prove you're really a citizen who paid taxes to deserve healthcare, and how do they know they're applying the medical information to the right person's medical history chart? Couldn't I visit UK and borrow someone's non-photo ID and get free services? I'm just kind of scratching my head at this. We have government-sponsored free healthcare too, but it involves photo ID that needs to be scanned at every visit. I've known my doctor since she was born and I used to babysit her, but I still need ID because she's accountable to the government when she files for services rendered.

How did you do Covid vaccines and entry-clearances without photo ID?

I did some running around today: Returned some items from Christmas which I had ordered online -- needed ID in case I gave them back something broken or if it wasn't the right item. Bought alcohol -- OK, sadly I don't look like I'm under 25, but most people around me got carded. My daughter is 26 and she still gets ID'ed at many places which makes her feel good.

My head is just spinning. We need ID for all big transactions like buying a house or a car, buying life insurance, or even home / auto insurance. They need to go after the right person in collections or if there's a claim against your account.

We don't need it to buy random things in a store, or for most online purchases, but I need my ID countless times a week, even when I pick up medication at the pharmacy.

You probably wouldn’t be charged for nhs services anyway, especially if it’s for emergency services. In theory overseas visitors can be charged, but they often aren’t. I audited the NHS for many years, it was never a big deal.

It’s the NHS.

Everyone deserves healthcare whether they pay taxes or not. So there is no stopping medical treatment while someone waits for a photo ID. If someone arrives at hospital unconscious in need of serious treatment they get the treatment and questions will be asked afterwards as to who their identity may be. Mobile phones and wallets will often contain the answer anyway.

If I go to the doctor I don't show any ID at all.
I phone up and give my name and ask for an appointment, they might check the first line of the address with me to be sure they are booking it against the correct patients name and that's it. I turn up when they have told me to and my Dr is free at that time to see me.

This is so interesting to me. And, they wonder why the NHS is floundering. It sounds so vulnerable if they're investing money to treat people who don't "deserve" it (insurance-wise).

I've never travelled to another country without buying extra medical insurance coverage. I just bought medical insurance for travel between provinces this weekend because Quebec and Ontario have different systems.

Sorry to KitLily, I really didn't mean to derail like this. I've fallen into a rabbit hole just trying to imagine how any place could complain about needing to identify its citizens, especially in an election?

I remember seeing this video when Americans were complaining about the need for voter ID.
I thought it was a joke, to be honest.
How can they say there was no voter fraud if there was no accountability for the people who voted?

No offence, but the amount of times you are being asked to prove who you are with a photo ID each day sounds like you are living in some weird dystopian lunacy

Everyone deserves it. That's the point of the NHS, it doesn't discriminate, it treats everyone equally.

The costs to the NHS of someone from overseas coming here and needing treatment is tiny. And they can be chased up for it and their insurance company pay the NHS back, but as Trueno says it doesn't often happen.

12 years ago the NHS was rated as one of the most efficient and best value for money health services in the world. Its now floundering because 1 political party actively wants it to flounder.