[no2id-supporters] NO2ID NEWSLETTER - Queens Speech Bulletin - 26th Nov 2004

[no2id-supporters-admin at no2id.net]

NO2ID NEWSLETTER - Queens Speech Bulletin - 26th Nov 2004
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Welcome to all of our new supporters that have come to us via the 
e-petition.  Thank you for your support.
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+ New National Coordinator

Some of you may have heard of Mark Littlewood's recent appointment as Head 
of the Press Office for the Liberal Democrats.  We wish him every success 
in his new job, but it does mean he will stand down as NO2ID's National 
Coordinator. We are a strictly non-partisan campaign.

Mark has been instrumental in building and steering the campaign to become 
the leading opponent of identity cards in the UK. His dedication and 
expertise have helped to establish our fantastic profile in the national 
press and broadcast media, and to ensure that our Parliamentary campaign is 
on an extremely strong footing in the lead up to next year's General Election.

Phil Booth (formerly Head of Development) has been appointed to the role of 
National Coordinator bringing the strong organisational skills we need to 
build the campaign throughout the country.  Simon Davies (Chair of our 
Advisory Board, and internationally known founder of Privacy International) 
has agreed to take much more part in NO2ID's media and lobbying 
activities.  Simon is respected to both by press and parliament. We are 
well placed to capitalise on our achievements to date and drive the 
campaign forward.

Phil Booth said, "I am honoured to have been asked to step into the role of 
National Coordinator, to deliver and develop the strategies established by 
Mark during his time at the helm and to continue to grow the organisation
and its activities, as I have been doing in my Finance, Fundraising and 
Development roles. It is fantastic that Simon is willing to commit such a 
lot of his time and effort to NO2ID, and I am delighted that the campaign - 
strengthened by the hundreds of new supporters and volunteers from across 
the country that we are getting each week - is in such great shape to be 
able to build on the remarkable progress that we have made in such a few 
short months. For this and the energy and vision that Mark has demonstrated 
throughout his time as National Coordinator, we are all immensely grateful."

+ Queens Speech

On Tuesday the Government's ID card bill was formally announced in the 
Queen's Speech, misleadingly presented as a measure to combat international 
terrorism and organised crime. There is no evidence that those countries 
that already have ID cards have less terrorism or organised crime. The 
Government has yet to release the exact timing of the publication of the 
bill, or its attempt to get it through parliament. There is much 
speculation that it will be rushed through before a general election next May.

+ Our Protest

NO2ID were in Parliament Square to protest against the proposals. A 
campaigner in a Tony Blair mask branded other campaigner's arms with a 
barcode that bore our strap line "Stop ID cards and the database state".

The demo attracted widespread interest, with television crews from as far 
afield as Japan, radio and newspaper interviews and even a piece in the New 
York Times
http://tinyurl.co.uk/n2hu
Phil Booth, Mark Littlewood and Guy Taylor were each serially interviewed. 
Pictures of the protest were shown regularly throughout the day on rolling 
news channels such as BBC News 24. Congratulations to all those who took part.

+ On the Agenda

The subject of ID cards has rapidly moved up the news agenda.  From being 
largely ignored six months ago, the proposed ID card scheme is now being 
heralded as the most controversial legislation in the Queen's Speech, and 
it is acknowledged that it is likely to meet fierce opposition. NO2ID's 
campaign has helped to change the emphasis.

+ Lobbying MPs

NO2ID has written to all MPs drawing their attention to the campaign and 
asking their opinions on the Government plans. We suggest that supporters 
also contact their MPs, Councillors, AMs and MSPs directly too. If you get 
a response then please pass on details of their position to our 
Parliamentary Liason, Dave Walker (dave at no2id.net).

List of MSPs - http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/msp/index.htm
List of AMs - http://www.wales.gov.uk/who/constit_e.htm
Fax Westminster MPs - http://www.faxyourmp.com/

+ E-Petition Kept Open

The NO2ID e-petition had a total of 3,230 valid signatures at its official 
close on Friday 19th November. However, we have decided to continue with 
the petition to allow more people to express their views to the government 
and help us reach more supporters. The "official" e-petition has now been 
sent to the cabinet office and we await their response.

Please continue to encourage people to sign the petition at
http://www.no2id-petition.net/

+ NO2ID Needs _Your_ Help, Too

The battle has only just begun and we need funds to help build on the 
success we've had so far. If you have not yet joined NO2ID please do. 
Membership starts at just GBP15, and even a small standing order makes a 
big difference in the long run. How do you value your freedom and 
privacy?  You can get a membership form at
www.no2id.net/content/join.html
You can also make a donation by PayPal or bank transfer, see
www.no2id.net/content/donate.html.

+ Volunteers Needed

We need volunteers to help form local campaigning groups around the 
country. Now is an excellent time to capitalise on the last fortnight's 
increased media interest in ID cards. More people will now be aware of the 
issue, and we need to get the details of the government's real agenda -- ID 
control -- to as many as possible.  To volunteer contact volunteer at no2id.net

++ Next Week's Events

+ 30th November - Reform Lunchtime Seminar
Mark Littlewood will be talking at a seminar given by conservative 
think-tank Reform on ID Cards.

+ 30th November , NO2ID Public Meeting Brixton
Tuesday 30 November 2004, 7pm at The Brix, St Matthews Church, Brixton, 
London SW2
Speakers:
     * Karen Chouhan, 1990 Trust
     * Weyman Bennet, Unite Against Fascism
     * Nadine Finch, Statewatch
     * Simon Davies, No2ID

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Publication details: (c) NO2ID 2004 - 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 No.412, 78 Marylebone High Street, LONDON W1U 5AP