*Contacting us:* Call or email the office – 020-7793-4005 or (office@no2id.net). Please do not reply to this email. (The from address is not a working email address)
+ “DON'T BE A GUINEA PIG” CAMPAIGN UPDATE +
NO2ID groups from around the country converged on Manchester over the last two weekends to take part in our “Don't Be A Guinea Pig” campaign. The campaign is our response to the government targeting Manchester as a “beacon area” for the roll-out of the first ID cards.
Last Saturday there were 10 NO2ID stalls around Manchester city centre and campaigners were able to talk to literally thousands of people and distributed thousands of leaflets. Northern England coordinator James Elsdon-Baker said: “There was an overwhelmingly positive reception from the people of Manchester who tended to think wasting their money on the privilege of being tracked for life by the Home Office was a rather low priority.”
Brian Mooney, a local co-ordinator from London, was one of many who travelled up for the event, he said: “I was pleased to see the event supported by colleagues from as far away as Scotland and the South-East. We were very visible in the main shopping areas.”
Following a well attended public meeting where local residents got to ask questions and learn more about the real implications of the database behind the cards, everyone filed out onto the city square to burn a mock ID card made up with Gordon Brown's details.
Manchester is just the first stage of the government's roll-out of the ID scheme. Their next plan is to look for ID guinea pigs across the entire North West. If you live in the North West then please join or start a local NO2ID group so that we can continue our campaign. Contact James at north@no2id.net to get involved.
Photos of the campaign can be seen at: www.no2id-handf.org.uk/m171009.htm
More pictures and a video can be seen at:
www.g7uk.com/photo-video-blog/20091017-giant-id-card-is-burnt-in-front-of-manchester-town-hall-video.shtml#more-1559
What just happened?
*+ Government drops DNA retention powers from police Bill +*
During the House of Lords Committee Stage of the Policing and Crime Bill this week (20th October) the government announced that they have dropped controversial DNA retention powers from the bill, introduced following a European Court of Human Rights ruling in December 2008. The bill had contained an enabling power allowing the Home Secretary to make regulations for the retention and destruction of DNA thus passing new guidelines without proper parliamentary debate. Government Minister Lord Brett said: “As soon as parliamentary time allows, we will bring forward appropriate measures which will place the detail of the retention periods in primary legislation, allowing full debate and scrutiny of the issue in both Houses”. But Baroness Neville-Jones was not impressed, she said: “The Minister justifies the production of a framework Bill on the ground that speed is needed. It is difficult to talk about speed when the [Marper] judgment was in December last year. The Government could have proceeded more speedily than they have. Given the Government's attitude to some of the legislation, they should have known that others would not be happy with them introducing a framework Bill and that there would have been a very lengthy debate and an attempt to amend. I can see why the Government have withdrawn the proposal”. Read a transcript of the debate at www.theyworkforyou.com/lords/?gid=2009-10-20a.664.1
*+ ID card polls show support lower than ever +
*The latest poll conducted by ICM for NO2ID shows that public support for the ID card scheme is at its lowest point ever, with 60% of those polled opposed to the scheme. Asked separately about plans for a national database which lie behind the scheme, those polled were opposed by a 2-to-1 majority. NO2ID has been following public opinion since June 2005 by asking the same unbiased question about ID cards. Meanwhile the Home Office has also been tracking public opinion – their data shows 56% of those polled approving of the “National Identity Service, including identity cards” (down from 59%) with 27% opposed. Their poll also showed support for the service was weakest among 16-24 year olds. UK Polling Report suggests a reason for the difference in the two polls: “In the Home Office polling respondents are first asked why they think the government is introducing ID cards, which will put them in mind of potential benefits of the card, and likely produces a higher approval rating”. For the NO2ID poll see:
www.icmresearch.co.uk/pdfs/2009_oct_no2id_poll.pdf For the Home Office poll see:
www.ips.gov.uk/cps/files/ips/live/assets/
documents/NIS_Tracking_Wave_8-June2009.pdf
*+ Random selection for ID scheme public panels +
*It seems that high numbers of people have been applying to take part in the National Identity Service Public Panels and have their say with regards to the ID scheme. A NO2ID supporter who applied to become a member of the UK Identity and Passport Service (UKIPS) South of England Public Panel received a letter from the 'Public Involvement Team' stating: “Due to the volume of applications received and the nature of the role of the Panel, a random selection process was used to progress applications to the next stage.”
*+ More Creeping demands for ID +
*One supporter wrote to tell us of yet another example of the shift towards an ID culture in the UK. They spotted a report in an Oxfordshire newspaper about a 41-year-old man who was refused a bottle of liqueur at a supermarket because his 22-year-old wife had no ID. The shopper told the newspaper: “They did not believe she was under 18, but they said she didn't look 25.”
What's next?
** *+ POWER2010 campaign wants your ideas +*
NO2ID supporters are invited to contribute ideas for the POWER2010 campaign, which will set out a reforming agenda at the next general election. Naturally NO2ID would like ideas about curtailing the database state to feature, but you are certainly not limited to that. You can contribute ANY ideas for governmental reform on the campaign's website at: www.power2010.org.uk
Perhaps you have a solution to departments using phoney consultation processes to railroad through a pre-determined policy. Or it might be limits on the use of statutory instruments, which have allowed the government to extend the use of ID cards without parliamentary scrutiny. Perhaps you have a way for us all to maintain ownership of our personal information. You decide. The only requirement is that it should be about improving the way our democracy works and how the decisions are made that affect our lives.
The ideas with most support will become the POWER2010 Pledge, which the campaign intends to invite every candidate standing at the next general election to make the pledge into their own public commitment, so that the new parliament will be fully aware of what the public thinks of those building-blocks of government which are fundamental but seldom covered by manifestos.
*+ Have your say – National Identity Service Public Panels +*
The UK Identity and Passport Service (UKIPS) is setting up public panels around the country to get the views of members of the public as they build the “National Identity Service”. Public panels will be made up of 11 members, and will meet for half a day up to three times a year. The aim is to “produce an Identity Rights Charter. This will set out the rights and responsibilities people, businesses and the Government have under the NIS”. To join a panel you can fill in the online form at www.ips.gov.uk/publicpanel or call 020 3356 8174. More details at
www.ips.gov.uk/cps/rde/xchg/ips_live/hs.xsl/1189.htm
”ID” in the news
*+ Just 10,000 Brits have shown an interest in getting an ID card – ITPro 20/10/09 +*
The Home Office confirmed to IT PRO that 10,000 people in the UK have expressed interest through the DirectGov website. However, the chief executive of the Identity and Passport Service, James Hall, said the numbers were a positive sign. www.itpro.co.uk/616528/10-000-register-for-id-cards
*+ Now families hosting foreign pupils face anti-paedophile vetting – Daily Mail 20/10/09 +*
Ministers are insisting that both parents in British host families submit to child protection checks before they can put up an overseas pupil. Teachers and MPs fear families will stop taking in foreign children.
www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1221557/Criminal-checks-
families-hosting-foreign-pupils-protect-children-paedophiles
-end-school-exchanges.html
*+ Police war on fake ID factories as fraudsters net millions – Evening Standard 13/10/09 +*
One £750 printer was withdrawn from sale at PC World after detectives revealed it could produce replicas of the proposed new ID card and EU driving licences.
www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23755793-police-
war-on-fake-id-factories-as-fraudsters-net-millions.do
*+ Only 2,000 volunteer for ID card – Manchester Evening News 16/10/09 +*
Only 2,000 people have signed up to find out more about the ID cards trial in Greater Manchester. The £30 voluntary scheme will be rolled out across the region by the end of the year as a trial for the national card. Anyone living in Greater Manchester – plus Manchester Airport workers – is eligible to get a card but the Home Office insists it's not surprised by the level of interest so far.
www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news
/s/1176148_only_2000_volunteer_for_id_card
*+ Home Office staff offered early bird ID cards – The Register 14/10/09 +*
The government has made another attempt to invest some cachet into ID cards by revealing that civil servants working on the scheme will be able to apply for the cards early.
www.theregister.co.uk/2009/10/14/id_card_civil_servants/
*+ ID cards and the worst of public sector IT failures – ITPro 9/10/09 +*
Government IT projects are infamous for failing, going over-budget, and even being shelved. On one hand, it's hard to call the ID card project an IT failure. It is up and running. Sort of. Cards have been doled out to foreign nationals, even if card readers don't exist yet. The main problem with ID cards is the politics. It's clear to any project manager that big projects need buy in before they go ahead, and this one simply doesn't have it.
www.itpro.co.uk/616087/id-cards-
and-the-worst-of-public-sector-it-failures
*+ ID card officials back away from scandal-hit database – Computer Weekly 6/10/09 +*
Government plans to store ID card biometrics data on a controversial system used by thousands of public workers might be scrapped. The Home Office has confirmed it is reconsidering plans to use the Customer Information System system to store biometric data for the ID card scheme.
www.computerweekly.com/Articles/2009/10/06/238017/id
-card-officials-back-away-from-scandal-hit-database.htm
(Please send me any items of interest you encounter – Editor (newsletter@no2id.net) )
*+ LOCAL GROUPS NEWS + *
To see if there's a group in your area check our list at www.no2id.net/localgroups/ Or, if you're interested in starting a group yourself, please contact Matty on local.groups@no2id.net to discuss what's involved and what we have in place to support coordinators and their groups.
_**__*+ Birmingham +*_*
**+ 24th October – Birmingham NO2ID Street Stall + *
Saturday 24th October, from 11am onwards in Birmingham City Centre.
*+ 25th November – Birmingham NO2ID Meeting + *
Wednesday 25th November, 7:30pm at Bennetts Bar, 8 Bennetts Hill, Birmingham B2 5RS.
_*+ Cambridge +*_
*Cambridge Student NO2ID and trip to Manchester*
On 6th & 7th October Cambridge's new Student NO2ID Society (www.cusu.cam.ac.uk/societies/directory/notoid/) ran a stall at the Students' Union Societies' Fair to spread the NO2ID message amongst Cambridge students. Volunteers spent a hectic couple of days distributing leaflets giving the facts about “voluntary” ID cards and gathering around 250 new petition signatures. Cambridge students interested in joining the CU NO2ID mailing list to find out about forthcoming events, please contact andrew.watson@no2id.net. Then, on Saturday 10th October a car-load of Norwich and Cambridge volunteers spent a successful day in Manchester running street stalls as part of the launch of the “Stop the ID Card Con” campaign there.
*+ 24th October – Cambridge NO2ID Street Stall +*
Saturday 24th October, in the usual spot outside Cambridge Guildhall (www.aardvarkmap.net/mape/T5LZATLS) from 2pm. Please contact Andrew on 07710 469624 if you'd like to help.
_**__*+ Canterbury +*_
To stay up to date join the Canterbury NO2ID mailing list on:
lists.no2id.net/mailman/listinfo/no2id.canterbury
_*+ Chelmsford and Mid Essex +*_
*+ 7th November – Chelmsford and Mid Essex NO2ID Street Stall in Witham +*
Saturday 7th November, 10am to 12pm outside the Newlands shopping precinct on Newland Street – 7 minutes from Witham station. All assistance welcome, getting petition signatures and/or giving out leaflets. Please let Felicity know that you can help on chelmsford@no2id.net (mobile on the day 07896 644830)
_*+ Dorking +*_*
**+ 24th October – Dorking NO2ID Street Stall +*
Saturday 24th October – for meeting time and venue contact dorking@no2id.net
*+ 3rd November – Dorking NO2ID Monthly Meeting (first Tuesday of month) +*
Tuesday 3rd November, 7:30pm – venue to be decided.
_*+ Dover +*_*
To stay up to date with Dover NO2ID join our mailing list on:
lists.no2id.net/mailman/listinfo/no2id.dover
_**__*+ Edinburgh + *_*
****+ 26th October – NO2ID Edinburgh Meeting +*
Monday 26th October at 7.00pm at the Quaker Meeting House, 7 Victoria Terrace, Edinburgh EH1 2JL. We shall be discussing the Scottish Government's current consultation on identity management and privacy principles in Scotland. More details at (www.no2id-scotland.net/edinburgh/future_meetings.html). All welcome. * + Saturdays 1pm – 3pm – NO2ID Edinburgh Street Stall +* Every week, weather permitting, you will find our campaigning stall at the east end of Princes Street, opposite the Balmoral Hotel. Do drop by for a chat. New volunteers – please contact John (edinburgh@no2id.net), and for more group information see www.no2id-scotland.net/edinburgh/
_*+ Epsom +*_
If anyone wants to get involved in the Epsom area, please email or phone NO2ID South East Regional Coordinator Geoff Cox on south.east@no2id.net or call 01306 631377.
_*+ Exeter +*_
*+ 29th October – Exeter NO2ID Inaugural meeting +*
Thursday, 29th October from 8pm at the Oddfellows Bar, 60 New North Road Exeter, EX4 4EP. Everyone is welcome, newcomer or not, curious or committed. Please bring a friend. Further details: Sam Morris on exeter@no2id.net
If you are interested in the work of the group or planning on attending the meeting, please join the Exeter group mailing list here: lists.no2id.net/mailman/listinfo/no2id.exeter
** _*+ Glasgow +*_
*+ 3rd November – Glasgow NO2ID Monthly Meeting (first Tuesday of month)*
Tuesday 3rd November (first Tuesday of every month), informal meeting at 8pm in Mono, King Street, Glasgow G1 5QP Map: (www.no2id-scotland.net/glasgow/meeting.html). All welcome.
*+ 23rd November – Scotland: Government consultation on Draft Principles for Privacy Protection DEADLINE +*
Monday 23rd November is the deadline for responses to the Scottish Government's consultation on privacy. The consultation paper is available online:
www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2009/08/PrinciplesConsultation
_*+ Great Missenden +*_*
+ 20th November – Great Missenden NO2ID showing of “Taking Liberties” +*
Friday 20th November, 8pm at The Environment Centre, Bassetbury Lane, High Wycombe HP11 1QX, there will be a showing of 'Taking Liberties' on behalf of Great Missenden NO2ID. Admission is free but donations to NO2ID are welcome.
_*+ Hammersmith & Fulham +*_
*+ 31st October – Hammersmith & Fulham NO2ID Street Stall +*
Saturday, 31st October 2009, Meet approx 11.00-12:30 outside Hammersmith (District and Piccadilly lines) tube with a view to setting up opposite Edward's bar on the Broadway. As it's Hallowe'en, it's a good opportunity to remind Joe Public that ID cards are not dead, but liable to come back and haunt. We're planning to use some (tasteful) artwork and any suggestions are welcome! More information on www.no2id-handf.org.uk/act.htm, or from Brian, hammersmith@no2id.net or 07976-414913.
*+ November date tbc – Call for Speakers for “Transformational Government” Evening*
We are considering a 'name speaker' meeting on the vital topic of 'Transformational government', probably an evening meeting, midweek in the second half of November. We would appreciate an early expression of interest, please, including from anyone outside the group.
Meantime, thanks to those who supported our 'Database State' evening on 24th September. We are pleased to make available our speakers' presentations on (www.no2id-handf.org.uk/db240909.htm).
_*+ Ipswich +*_* * *+ 25th October – Ipswich NO2ID Street Stall + *
Sunday 25th October – Ipswich NO2ID street stall, meeting in front of the Town Hall at 11am
*+ 11th November – Ipswich NO2ID Monthly Pub Meeting (second Wednesday of month) + *
Wednesday 11th November, 7:30pm at The Black Horse Inn, Black Horse Lane, Ipswich. Contact Bobby Gooding – ipswich@no2id.net
If you are interested in the work of the Ipswich group, please join their mailing list on: www.no2id.net/mailman/listinfo/no2id.ipswich
_*+ Lancaster +*_
Subscribe to the Lancaster NO2ID e-mail list at www.no2id.net/mailman/listinfo/no2id.lancaster
_*+ Manchester +*_
*+ 24th October – “Freedom Come, Freedom Go!” Manchester NO2ID Redux +*
Saturday 24th October, 6.30pm-7.30pm – A comedy show about our eroding freedoms performed by Tom Read, stand up comedian, former member of Manchester NO2ID and now coordinator of Norwich NO2ID. The show appropriately is also entirely free! So come along and see what's going on. Definitely not to be missed! “Entertaining and educational” – Three Weeks. This event takes place in the upstairs function room of the Town Hall Tavern,Tib Lane, Manchester – the same location as Manchester NO2ID meetings. Sadly, this venue is not wheelchair-accessible and involves steep stairs.
manchester.no2id.net/content/freedom-
come-freedom-go-manchester-id-redux
*+ 24th October – Manchester Students Against ID Campaigning Training Day +*
Saturday, 24th October, 11-4pm in Council Chambers on the top floor University of Manchester Students' Union. Manchester Students Against ID is teaming up with Manchester Students for Sensible Drug Policy to hold a joint training day to help students put together the arguments they need when discussing drug law reform and ID cards. There will be workshops on how to make the case for drug law reform, the case against ID cards, and how to speak to the media. You do not have to be a student to attend! Should you get lost or something, call 07503080322 for directions or help.
**_*+ Norwich +*_ * + 12th November – “Taking Liberties” Film Showing*
Thursday 12th November, from 7.00-10.00pm at University of East Anglia, Arts Building 01.02. Shocking, determinedly truthful and scathingly funny, TAKING LIBERTIES combines cheeky stunts with of liberty loss, Chris Atkins' unflinching documentary examines how New Labour systematically eroded our basic liberties. Followed by discussion about the government's proposed national identity scheme with Norwich NO2ID and Norwich Stop the Coalition.
*+ 14th November – Norwich NO2ID Street Stall +*
Saturday 14th November, 1-3pm at The Haymarket, Gentleman's Walk. Meet the public and spread the word!
*+ 17th November – Norwich NO2ID Meeting +*
Tuesday 17th November, 7:30-9pm, Norwich NO2ID will be meeting at The Workshop Cafe (opposite The Black Horse), 53 Earlham Road, NR2 3AD. Come along to air your views and get involved in positive action to stop the database state.
If you are interested in the work of the Norwich group, please join their mailing list on: www.no2id.net/mailman/listinfo/no2id.norwich
_*+ Oxford +*_
See the website for more: no2id-oxford.org.uk/
_*+ Reading +*_*
Contact Reading NO2ID on reading@no2id.net or join our web group at groups.yahoo.com/group/Reading-No2ID/
_*+ Watford +*_*
24th October – Watford NO2ID Street Stall in Watford Town Centre +*
Saturday 24th October, 10:30am-12:30pm – in Charter Place, just outside the Harlequin shopping centre. Members and supporters are encouraged to come along.
*+ 14th November – Watford NO2ID Street Stall in Hemel Hempstead +
+ 5th December – Watford NO2ID Street Stall in St Albans + *
Please contact Colin Simmons on watford@no2id.net if you are interested in giving a couple of hours a month to join us.
* * Publication details: © NO2ID 2009 – This document may be freely redistributed in one-to-one communications or physical copies as long as it is reproduced in its entirety including this notice. It may not be mass-mailed without the prior permission of NO2ID.
NO2ID, Box 412, 19-21 Crawford Street, LONDON W1H 1PJ