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Professor John Robertson OBA
There’s something missing from all the media coverage of Labour’s Digital ID proposal and it’s darker than any worries we might have about Scots ‘declaring ourselves British.‘
From the Canary factchecker two days ago:
As Keir Starmer moves to impose ‘digital ID’ on the UK, anti-surveillance and anti-freeport activist and Canary writer David Powell has submitted a major Freedom of Information Act (FOI) request to the government demanding clear information about the influence and contracts held by US spy firm Palantir in the machinery of the British surveillance state.
WHY THIS MATTERS: Palantir already has its surveillance tentacles deep in UK infrastructure with 24+ government contracts including:
🏥 NHS [ENGLAND]– patient data analytics
🛡️ Ministry of Defence – military intelligence
👮 Police Forces [IN ENGLAND] – “predictive policing” systems
🏛️ Cabinet Office – cross-govt data platform
🏘️ DLUHC – local authority surveillance
🏛️ Coventry City Council – citizen monitoring
PALANTIR’S TRACK RECORD:
•Built CIA’s tracking systems
•Created NSA mass surveillance tools
•“Predictive policing” = racial profiling algorithms
•Founded by Peter Thiel (Trump mega-donor)
•Profits from border surveillance & deportations
•Turns citizen data into surveillance gold
Given this EXTENSIVE presence across UK institutions, Palantir involvement in Brit Card is not just possible – it’s PROBABLE.
https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2025/09/25/palantir-digital-id/
Does Palantir have its surveillance tentacles deep inside Scotland’s devolved institutions?
It was the deal to handle NHS England patient data which prompted Ian Murray, Governor General for Scotland, to accuse FM John Swinney of somehow being old-fashioned, ‘analogue‘, and letting patients in Scotland down.
The truth is, you will not be surprised, somewhat different.
There are no suggestions that Palantir is being considered for any role in NHS Scotland.
There’s some detail about Scotland’s National Digital Platform
While NHS Scotland does have plans to work with industry partners, only Astra Zeneca UK and Lenus Health have signed a memorandum of understanding. You can read more on this at: https://www.digitalhealth.net/2022/09/nhs-scotland-set-for-transformation-with-new-collaboration/
While Lenus Health is a digital consultancy managing patient data, they are compliant with User-Managed Protocols enabling patients to control what data they share and who can access it. You can read more on them at: https://lenushealth.com/platform/
Talking-up Scotland 'Albatraz' 
Don’t forget Larry Ellison of Oracle, dinner guest at the Windsor Castle evening of unrivalled splendour with the King and President, who is investing millions in data centres around Oxford. All that data will have to be stored somewhere.
It takes a lot of power to run these data centres so our renewables will come in handy.
How Larry Ellison, the world’s richest man, is buying up Oxford
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Excellent, thanks for the links…it shouldn’t need saying what Scotland needs to do to escape the UK dystopia happening in the forseeable…
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There is a petition….checked it at 19.57pm on 27 September and signatures so far is….
1,974,758 people.
The petition is:
“Do not introduce Digital ID cards”
“We demand that the UK Government immediately commits to not introducing a digital ID cards. There are reports that this is being looked at”….
“We think this would be a step towards mass surveillance and digital control, and that no one should be forced to register with a state-controlled ID system. We oppose the creation of any national ID system”
“ID cards were scrapped in 2010, in our view for good reason”
This petition is open until 9 January 2026……..so…….
An unpopular idea from an unpopular UK Labour government led by an unpopular Labour UK PM which then results in a petition like this………
People are pig sick of Labour and pig sick of a UK PM who is worse than many of the worst Tory PM’s……… and it’s my guess Labour, as a party and as a UK government, are going the same way as the Tories……Over and Out !
Brexit has a way of doing that……..as unscrupulous parties try to hide the damage Brexit has done to their UK in implementing terrible ideas, bad policies indeed anything to cover up the mess and damage of Brexit UK…..a State in more ways than one.
As it is a UK policy impacting Scotland too….has the media in Scotland sought out Anas Sarwar’s opinion on ID Cards yet…….and if so…..is he , as per, compliant with this or pretendy against it (until after the Scottish elections)…….
Liz S
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And just leaked, Palantir’s owner Peter Thiel’s name appears in the Epstein Files.
https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2025/09/27/musk-bannon-thiel-epstein/?fbclid=IwdGRjcANFGY5jbGNrA0UZSGV4dG4DYWVtAjExAAEeu5PhZuoevoTjUuSJclMfDYQOkAuVJlECyBAEzDFff7FSZ1Jrd-R90Mx32Zc_aem_ltXIjCsNZVkHx8pPV_9y_Q
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Thanks for this insight. Just off to sign the petition.
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I read somewhere that John Swinney was involved in the Scottish identity card with Nicola Sturgeon, and that he is being criticised by the Conservatives for being involved in the named person scheme.
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