Monday, August 10, 2009

Identity Cards for under-25's

A comment by Dan regarding the under-25 policy on alcohol purchases seems to have spread to the purchase of knives. A quick search pulled up a document from the Wine and Spirit Trade Association regarding the scheme which seems to be called "Challenge 25".

There are three points of interest in this short article. The first is that we have both a Home Office spokesperson and a police officer lauding the Challenge 21 scheme neither of whom voices any concern over this creeping age-limit.

The second point is that this has apparently been requested by "frontline staff" who want the

freedom to challenge more widely to ensure young people are not breaking the law, either attempting to purchase alcohol for themselves or for others who are under 18
Excuse me they already have the freedom to challenge anyone they like if they think that the alcohol laws are being broken - they're private businesses. They're not legally obliged to sell anything to anyone they don't want to provided they're not discriminating on the grounds of sex, colour, or religion etc.. All the Challenge 21 and now Challenge 25 is give them store/management back-up for doing what they should have been in the first place.

Finally the third point
Challenge 25 will force all those over 18 but under 25 to carry photo ID if they wish to purchase alcohol.
That's "force" people to carry photo ID if they want to purchase alcohol, but in effect will force such to carry it if they want to purchase anything deemed hazardous such as knives. What this does is subtly indoctrinate the 18-25 age group (and the next generation) into accepting the need to carry photo ID around with them at all times. Then you slowly merge the driver's licence and passport into the National ID card on the grounds of 'cost' and 'lowering administration overhead'.

Think I'm paranoid? Just take a look at how our laws are ever so slowly removing our ability to do anything without our masters' permission while at the same time allowing our masters to do whatever they want without our permission.

4 comments:

Dan H said...

The plot thickens. I've just been reading one of those mail-order-tat catalogues, you know the ones with fake art deco mirrors and tasteless jewellery, and all of their brooches have warnings on to say they won't sell them to under-18's. Brooches, for heaven's sake. Won't someone think of the children??!

FlipC said...

Oh I don't know brooches can have sharp fastenings; it'd just be like selling them a very short rapier :-P

As with so much it's back-covering whenever you sell anything that can be vaguely deemed as dangerous... hmm out of curiosity do they age-check bleach etc.? It may show up on a till receipt they offer have an "age-confirmed" or "think 21" on them. Heh I wonder if they've updated the tills to print "think 25"?

Dan H said...

I bought a bottle of bleach last week and there was no such gubbens on the receipt. Amusingly, I was in Tesco on Thurs, and there was a holdup at the checkout as the person in front was buying some alcohol and though his age was not in question, the checkout was manned by a minor, who of course is forbidden to sell alcohol. She resolved the situation by attracting the attention of another staff member who was fiddling with the facing aisle, shouting to him, "He's over 18, isn't he?" and then pressing the "age confirmed" button on her till.

FlipC said...

So bleach is fine. Hmm I bet there's an age check on glue, but not on aerosols.

As for the minor at the till, they normally put a sign at the end telling you this and if I do have an age-check product I avoid them.

Still, amusing that a minor can technically sell alcohol, but can't buy it themselves.