The Five Demands

“Credo che per un Primo Ministro che una volta invitò i suoi cittadini a battere la Union Jack nei loro giardini parlando di orgoglio britannico, sia deludente che sia lui che  il suo governo, non ritengano opportuno includere un così importante simbolo nazionale, come la bandiera, sulla carta d’identità. ”
Questa la reazione di Jeffrey Donaldson del DUP, dopo la presentazione della nuova carta di identità del Regno Unito.
L’Home Office negando oggi  che l’Union Jack sia stata omessa dalla carta d’identità nazionale riconoscendo il ‘diritto di identità irlandese’, ritratta di fatto le dichiarazioni rilasciate ieri in sede di presentazione del nuovo documento identificativo.
In un rapporto del Guardian infatti, l’Home Office avrebbe dichiarato che il sistema deve funzionare riconoscendo “pienamente l’identità dei diritti del popolo dell’Irlanda del Nord, come stabilito dal Belfast Agreement“.
Un portavoce dell’Home Office ieri sera ha tenuto a precisare che  la bandiera nazionale non è stata inserita in quanto non è un requisito.
“Un stemma nazionale piuttosto che una bandiera, è specificato nel regolamento dell’Unione Europea”.
Jeffrey Donaldson, ha messo anche in dubbio il valore di avere una carta di identità diversa per chi si vede come cittadino irlandese. Nonostante infatti sia stata definita una ‘carta d’identità personale’ perchè non certifica la nazionalità, avrà di fatto comunque un valore identificativo perchè i dati dei titolari saranno  registrati nella database nazionale.
La nuova carta entrerà ufficialmente in vigore tra il 2011 e il 2012, ma non sarà un documento obbligatorio.

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Flag omission angers unionists (NewsLetter)
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.