ID cards, like other forms of cards that show our details, are open to abuse, by the police and any other jobsworth who is having a bad day.
3 examples spring to mind
- many years ago Frederic Raphael talking on the radio about being stopped whilst driving through Essex by the police - no reason given other than he was driving a large Jaguar and they didn't like the look of him.
- In 2000 the black Bishop of Stepney, (now Archbishop of York) John Sentamu was stopped outside St Paul's in the rain and asked to get out of his car and to open the bonnet
so that the constable could search it. No reason given. His dog collar was covered by a scarf. He was then asked what he did and as he told the office, he removed his scarf. Surprise, surprise he was told to be on his way.
- in 1968 2 of us were parked outside a fish and chip shop in Shepherds Bush whilst the car driver went inside. A policeman walked slowly around the cat, staring in at us and then asked where the driving licence was. Of course it was in its correct place in the front window. It was 1.00am and he was bored.
Stop and search was rife in the 80s and so will requests for IDs be in the 2020s.