Welsh Liberal Democrats call on Mark Drakeford to rule out ‘illiberal’ vaccine passports in Wales
The Welsh Liberal Democrats have continued their calls for the Welsh Government to rule out “illiberal and unworkable” vaccine passports.
In England, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said that nightclubs and other large venues will be legally required to bar customers without passports from September. He has not confirmed or denied that they may be brought in for visiting pubs.
Wales’ First Minister Mark Drakeford however has so far only said that it will a matter for individual businesses in Wales to decide whether they will require people to show so-called vaccine passports. Nightclubs are yet to re-open in Wales.
The Welsh Liberal Democrat leader Jane Dodds MS said her party remained opposed to any form of passport or certificate for accessing services or venues.
“The introduction of these would not only be divisive and discriminatory but unworkable and illiberal,” she said.
“If we truly want to keep people safe, then we must ensure that we have a strong test and trace system to protect vulnerable people – but a national ID system for vaccines does not help with this.”
‘On the table’
Jane Dodds added that introducing these passports will leave many businesses “on their knees, facing reduced custom and struggling with the extra cost of enforcement”.
“I call on the Welsh Government and local councils to rule out introducing these burdensome vaccine passports here in Wales and focus instead of reducing the number of cases everywhere,” she said.
Rhun ap Iorwerth from Plaid Cymru has said that despite vaccine passports “running contrary” to his principles “you have to look at all sorts of models for allowing freedoms to be given back to people”.
“If it does make people think, as it probably does, that this would help them carry on with their lives, it has to be on the table,” he told BBC Politics Wales on Sunday.
“But I think we have to keep on making that general argument anyway that the double vaccination helps you bring back normality in to your lives.”
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Ah yes! The Liberals. Proponents of so many innovative liberal policies like the bedroom tax, raising the state pension age to 70 and let’s not forget the most liberal of all – austerity! Vote Liberal; get Tories. Lest we forget.
…and loads of students up to their armpits in debt despite the promise not to raise student fees.
Welsh Liberal Democrats call on Mark Drakeford….? There’s only one of them and that was a regional seat, not voted directly into the Senedd… Surely it should be ‘Welsh Liberal Democrat calls on Mark Drakeford?
A virus that’s killed over 6000 people in wales – and left thousands of others suffering with long covid – doesnt seem very ‘liberal’ to me 🤔. If we are ever to be rid of this terrible virus, and return to some kind of normality, we need to do whatever is necessary to increase the take up of the vaccine….
Despite the only Lib Dem in the village’s emotive words and baseless predictions, I sort of agree with the vaccination passports. So they are discriminatory against the wackos who “don’t wanna” get vaccinated.
If conspiracists want the right to “opt out” of getting the evil leftist sheeple Marxist Soros tracking vaccine or whatever they are calling it today, then everyone else should not have to increase their risk of contracting a new strain from them.
But this must not be permitted to then turn into ID cards.
What is it with ID? Passport, driving licence, bank cards, all of these are ID, as is the VP.
Worst thing for me is my old phone????
They have specific purposes which benefit the owner. They are not required to be presentable at all times. Whereas national ID cards, where they are used, must be presented upon demand by an officer of the state, could be used for surveillance / tracking citizens’ movements and creates a central database to monitor all citizens. Thereby giving up further civil liberties. “Ah but if you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear” it’s supporters say. Yet who are the government to value judge where I go and what I do? It’s none of their business. Remember who currently… Read more »
Why have these when double vaccinated people can get and transmit covid? Look at israel they brought the passport in and the virus is still going strong. As a few mps and doctors have now said, it’s time to learn to live with the virus because we will never get to 0 covid.