Britcard Backlash: Why Labour’s Plan Threatens Democracy

They say a week is a long time in politics, but the past year under Labour leadership feels like a decade. If it were not so serious, with such a direct impact on our country’s prosperity, it would almost be amusing to watch. I do not think I have ever seen a party with such a mandate flounder and stumble from pillar to post. At least the Tories had the sense to end the Liz Truss experiment before it was too late.

Nor have we seen a sitting prime minister publicly challenged for leadership by a regional mayor. A true expression of the grift politics has become. Andy Burnham has set his sights higher than the residents of Manchester, now deciding that he is fit to become prime minister. Do not let the fact that he is not even a sitting MP get in the way; somebody can always stand down to make way for this political heavyweight.

It is a sign of the times, and another reason politicians have lost the trust of the people. A decade ago, this would have been seen as an act of egregious arrogance and hubris and condemned. Now, in British politics, our expectations are so low that it is just another Thursday.

It is against this backdrop that Sir Keir announced his new plan to “Stop the Boats,” a direct attempt to reclaim lost ground from Nigel Farage and Reform. His plan? A national identity card. An idea so unique and original that it was first introduced to Parliament in 1540 through the 1414 Act.

Revolutionary indeed. This is certainly going to put money back into the pockets of hard-up families and working people, or more likely, funnel hundreds of millions into opaque shell companies and IT firms with links to Tony Blair and his family.

In a rare success for Labour, the “Britcard” did manage to unite a fractured political landscape. Unfortunately for Sir Keir, it united every party, left and right, against the idea, drawing condemnation across the board. Whilst whimsical in its folly, introducing such an unpopular policy that will do nothing to improve the life of ordinary people is no laughing matter. This is a serious threat to democracy.

No government should have the centralised power to control citizens. Multiple systems and documents, whilst inefficient, help prevent the creep of government censorship and control. Sir Keir has already shown authoritarian tendencies, whether through the treatment of Kneecap or the convictions handed out for social media posts. Regardless of whether we agree or disagree with what is said, people from both sides of the debate should fight against state control of speech.

For us Scots, the Britcard has a more sinister tone. It attempts to re-establish the notion that Scots are “naturally British.” I do not know about you, reader, but I will never tick “British” as my nationality unless I have no other choice. To be forced to use a “Britcard” that imposes that identity on me is both dangerous and undignified.

More worrying still is that such a weak Labour government, desperate to avoid backlash and fighting for its life in Scotland to retain MSPs, feels Scottish identity and resistance to the Union are so weak that it can impose this without consequence.

Worryingly for us Scottish nationalists, they may be proven right. Our movement has been misled over the past decade, marched to the top of the hill, only to be told “now is not the time.” Mandate after mandate has been delivered, promises made that a referendum was coming, yet still no action.

The only action the party of independence has taken was to further embolden the British state by asking the English Supreme Court if we could “please” have a referendum.

As our founder warned, this marks the beginning of the denationalisation of Scotland and the encroachment of the British state. As the SNP conference looms and the movement looks to the largest political party to come up with a coherent strategy to use the powers of Holyrood to deliver our country's freedom, it is worrying that the SNP might take a leaf out of Sir Keir's playbook and deliver top-down direction and ignore the wishes of the party membership.

Swinney says: “Vote SNP to stop the Britcard.” We say: “Vote Alba to stop the Union.” That is the difference, reader, between a party aiming for survival and a party aiming to free our country. Please support your local LACU in any way you can to stop the encroachment and set our country free.

[Josh Robertson is the ALBA Party National Organiser and is a member of the National Executive Committee]