Re: Blue passports? They say we could have had them all along...
Hi
The be fair, it has been touted in The Express and others that we should get our blue one's back and that it was an EU rule which made us change,
It never was a rule and we won't be getting our old one back, simply because under International rules they are all they are all now the same size and format so that they fit in the standard readers.
Because we have asked for a Transition Period, we are still part of the Single Market, so standby for the backlash when it goes out to Tender and it is won by a European Company.
It would have been better to wait and then we could have just printed it ourselves.
Most Governments print their own, we privatised HMSO, another stupid thing to do, so we have to put it out to Tender.
Access to Public Procurement Tenders is a standard part of any Trade Agreement, so in future it could be printed in China or India or any other Country we have a Trade Deal with.
The only sensible thing to do is to take it back Inhouse, that way we keep control of a vital document.
We can also expect a backlash from the PC Brigade, a blue passport does not reflect the diversity of the UK, we should have a pink one, or rainbow coloured.
My final point is this.
£490 Million is a lot to spend at the moment, it would pay for sprinkler systems in all our Tower Blocks.
Money better spent in my opinion, a blue passport can wait until we have left and can print it ourselves.
It is also my view that we could have issued an ID Card with one, minimal cost, the info is already there, just an extra £3 for the card.
We could have then rolled them out for everyone.
It is my view that ID Cards are essential, not only for our National Security, but also so we can deport all the Illegals here.