[no2id-supporters] NO2ID SUPPORTER'S NEWSLETTER No.12

[no2id-supporters-admin at no2id.net]

NO2ID NEWSLETTER - Supporter's Newsletter No.12 - 10th January 2005
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+++ Stop ID-cards and the database state

This is the latest email newsletter to keep you informed about the
campaign against the Home Office's plans to fingerprint and track the
entire population of Britain for its National Identity Register. As soon
as practicable the NO2ID Newsletter will also be produced in printed
form to let us reach people without email. Meanwhile, if you want to
forward this email to friends or print and distribute hard copies, then
we have no objections.

You've been sent this (if you are a first hand recipient) because we
believe you registered as a supporter of the campaign. If not, or if you
just don't want the newsletter, let us know and please accept our
apologies. We don't want to spam anyone.

(Equally, if you were a supporter in the past, but have now decided that
you do want yourself and your family to be tagged like cattle at huge
and unnecessary expense, please do let us know.)

--------------------------------
++ Identity Cards Bill Enters Committee Stage
--------------------

+ Government Rushing Bill Through

The Identity Cards Bill will now enter the Committee Stage, where a
committee will examine the bill clause by clause. However the level of
scrutiny that MPs will be able to give the bill is questionable. The
government is rushing the bill through parliament following a programme
motion (in effect, a guillotine) that means the committee stage must be
completed by 27th January. MPs do not return from Christmas recess until
Monday, 10th January, so that leaves just two an a half weeks to examine
a controversial bill that has enormous costs and major constitutional
implications.

The committee will then produce a report, which will be allowed just one
hour of debate in the commons. The Third Reading of the bill is limited
to a single day. The low turnout for the Second Reading of the bill(173
MPs absent or abstained) suggests that there could be a more sizeable
back bench revolt at Third Reading. NO2ID has compiled a list of MPs who
publicly support NO2ID (several more do so privately), as well as those
that are opposed to ID cards in principle. See
www.no2id.net/about/mp_supporters.php

Revolts.co.uk has produced an analysis of the Second Reading backbench
rebellion. See
http://tinyurl.co.uk/x0p9  (PDF file)

After Third Reading the bill will then got to the House of Lords where
it is expected to meet stiffer opposition. Many believe this is where
the best hopes for stopping it lie.

Nevertheless...

+ ID Bill Committee Stage - Lobby Your MP

We urgently call on all supporters to contact their MPs, Councillors,
AMs and MSPs to make them aware of your concerns and to point out that
ID cards are not a popular measure, despite what a number of them
believe. If you get a response then please pass on details of their
position to our
Parliamentary Liaison, Rachael Marsh (parliamentary.liaison 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/

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++ What Just Happened?
---------------------

+ NO2ID Opens Campaign Office

Great news this week, as NO2ID gets a new office on the south bank of
the Thames, near Lambeth Palace and a short walk from the Houses of
Parliament.  We're starting small, but there is plenty of space for
expansion in the building as the office grows.  The postal address for
external communications remains the same.

If you live in London and have a few hours to spare during the week
please volunteer to join the staff rota helping to handle the vital
clerical work to support the campaign.  (volunteeer at no2id.net)  If you
can't, please help us with running costs.  The rent in the short-term is
kindly underwritten by the Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust Ltd, but to make
the office work for us means meeting the running costs of constant
lobbying by mail and by phone.  Please support us with a donation.

You can get a membership/standing order donation form at
www.no2id.net/content/join.html
To donate by PayPal or bank transfer, see www.no2id.net/content/donate.html

+ Local Groups Forming Across the Country

The following brave people are now acting as local NO2ID contacts in
their area, others are in the queue.  (So our apologies to local
contacts who don't find themselves here, yet.)

BARROW IN FURNESS - Paul Robson - barrow.in.furness at no2id.net
BIRMINGHAM - Nick Drew - birmingham at no2id.net
BRIGHTON - Rob Whitehead - brighton at no2id.net
BRISTOL - Richard McCormack -  bristol at no2id.net
CAMBRIDGE - Andrew Watson - cambridge at no2id.net
CARDIFF - Dafydd Elcome - cardiff at no2id.net
CARLISLE - Douglas Baptie - carlisle at no2id.net
EDINBURGH - Trevor Mendham - edinburgh at no2id.net
GLASGOW - Vic Arcari - glasgow at no2id.net
HULL - Rev Alisdair Lairds - hull at no2id.net
NEWCASTLE - Robin Ashby	- newcastle at no2id.net
NEWTON ABBOT - Dr Andy Marchant - newton.abbot at no2id.net
OXFORD - Mike Bolton - oxford at no2id.net
PETERBOROUGH - Mark Ringer - peterborough at no2id.net
RHYL - Christopher Gould - rhyl at no2id.net
SHEFFIELD - Catherine Luker - sheffield at no2id.net
WOKING - Paul Campbell - woking at no2id.net
WORTHING - Trevor Hodgson - worthing at no2id.net

Please get in touch with them if you can help out locally.  If you'd
like to join them as a local contact for your town, you should be a
member and be prepared to be contacted by supporters and local journalists.

+ NO2ID Discussion Forums

The NO2ID website now has discussion forums and bulletin boards for
supporters and members to discusss all things related too ID control,
and share ideas and suggestions for the campaign.  There are forums for
posting links to articles, discussing the Identity, Cards Bill and
announcing forthcoming events. To get the best value from the system,
you will need to register. See
http://www.no2id.net/phpbb/

+ E-Petition Still Open

The petition continues to help us reach more supporters and let more
people express their views on ID cards.  If you would like to collect
paper signatures in your area, please let Guy Taylor
(local.groups at no2id.net) know.

The "official" petition is now listed on the cabinet office website,
together with an indication that a response will be posted "in due
course". The petition was submitted to the Cabinet Office six
weeks ago.  The stated policy is that the Government will normally take
two weeks to respond.
http://www.number-10.gov.uk/output/page297.asp

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

+ Labour Government Rejected ID Cards in 1974

Government papers released under the 30-year rule show that in the wake
of the IRA Birmingham pub bombings in 1974, the then Labour government
considered ID cards but rejected them because of cost and the impact
they would have on civil liberties.

The ID scheme proposed by the current government is far more expensive
(even in relative terms) and an even greater threat to civil liberties,
with its centralised database, unique National Identity Register Number,
and biometric data. Strange, then, that Charles Clarke thinks it "is an
enhancement, not an inhibition, of civil liberties."
See http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4139049.stm

+ SpyBlog Requests ID Card "Gateway Review"

SpyBlog has submitted a request, under the Freedom of Information Act
2000 (FOIA), for the Office of Government Commerce Gateway Reviews of
the Identity Cards Programme.  Gateway Reviews are independent financial
reviews carried out by a team of experts at certain fixed key decision
points over the lifetime of a programme.

The government has been reluctant to release information relating to the
proposed ID card scheme, citing "reasons of commercial confidentiality".
Lord Falconer has already indicated that FOIA requests for the legal
guidance on the introduction of ID cards are likely to be declined.
See http://www.spy.org.uk/foia/archives/2005/01/ogc_gateway_rev.html

SpyBlog has also set up blogs for those wishing to comment on the text
of the Identity Cards Bill clause by clause, or on the accompanying
Regulatory Impact Assessment.

http://www.spy.org.uk/icb/
http://www.spy.org.uk/icbria

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++ What's Next?
------------

+ Biometric Passports, Contactless Chips And Global ID

The government continues to use the introduction of biometric passports
as a justification for ID cards. It claims we have to upgrade our
passports, due to International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO)
guidelines, so we may as well have an ID card while we're at it. However
biometric passports are now at the centre of much controversy.

The American Civil Liberties Union has produced a white paper that
highlights a number of privacy and security issues surrounding the ICAO
standard.  Insertion of an unencrypted contactless chip into passports
means it will be possible to read the passport data from a distance of
20cm or more. The ACLU also warns that the ICAO standard is a move
towards a global identity card.

Meanwhile the European Union seems set to rethink its biometric passport
proposals after a technical report to the European Council stated that
"the solution envisaged by the draft regulation is not technically
feasible".

Back in the UK, an EU law specialist at the University of Essex says
that the government's proposed biometric passport system could conflict
with the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) as well as data
protection legislation.

Set against this comes news of the costly US-VISIT programme that
biometrically scans visitors at seaports, airports and border controls
in the United States. The programme has cost 700 million dollars so far.
The LA Times reports that last year 16.9 million foreign visitors were
checked through the system, 372 of whom were arrested or denied entry.
Of the 372 none was linked to terrorism.

ACLU White Paper
http://www.aclu.org/Privacy/Privacy.cfm?ID=17078&c=130

Statewatch report on EU passports
http://www.statewatch.org/news/2005/jan/02update-visas-biometrics.htm

UK passports & human rights
http://nxtpresa.butterworths.co.uk/freelaw/news/DailyNewsItem.asp#3958

LA Times report on US-VISIT
http://tinyurl.co.uk/qbuc

+ 17 January - IPPR/OII Public Meeting
'Identity, Technology and the Public Interest: New Directions for
Research and Public Policy'
2pm - 5pm at Chartered Institute for Public Finance and Accountancy
3 Robert Street, London WC2N 6RL
This joint ippr-OII forum will bring together researchers, practitioners
and policy-makers to discuss some of the most recent developments in
research and public policy.
Speakers will include:
   William Dutton, Oxford Internet Institute
   Will Davies, IPPR
   Andrew Pinder, Consultant and former E-envoy
   Matthew Kabatoff, Goldsmiths College
The event is free and open to the public. If you wish to attend, you
must register your name and affiliation, if any, with events at oii.ox.ac.uk

+ 18 January - 'Identity cards, the state and the individual'

6:15pm at 23 Great Smith Street, London SW1.
The Adam Smith Institute, a libertarian think tank, is holding a
roundtable discussion on 'Identity cards, the state and the individual'
at the Institute's offices. The event will be followed by a drinks
reception and places are limited.
Speakers will include:
   Rt Hon. Peter Lilley MP (former Minister for Social Security)
   Sarah Arnott of Computing (the IT industry's newspaper)
   Seamus Heffernan from Civitas
E-mail events at adamsmith.org if you would like to attend.

+ 25th January - NO2ID Public Meeting, Cambridge

7:30pm at Fisher Hall, Guildhall Place, Cambridge.
Speakers are to include:
   Peter Lilley, MP PC
   Ross Anderson, Professor of Security Engineering, U. of Cambridge
   David Howarth, Prospective Liberal Democrat candidate for Cambridge
   Tauhid Pasha, Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants

+ Coming soon - Fundraising Event in London

Find out what an extraordinarily diverse range of ideas NO2ID people
have.  And raise funds for the battle ahead.  Details will depend on how
much interest there is.  Contact our events manager, Cassandra Rae
(events at no2id.net) if you would like to know more.

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++ "ID" In the News
---------------------
Labour's Zombie Army clinches ID card vote for Clarke
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/12/21/id_bill_2nd_reading/

Plugs to be pulled on EU biometric visa scheme?
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/01/07/cards_for_bio_visa/

Reform think tank says Identity Cards Bill does not stand up to scrutiny
http://www.reform.co.uk/website/pressroom/bulletinarchive.aspx?o=91

SNP says ID Cards won't catch more criminals
http://www.publictechnology.net/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=2261

ID Cards bill is given a second reading
http://politics.guardian.co.uk/homeaffairs/story/0,11026,1377985,00.html

Labour and Tory MPs absent in protest
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-1411314,00.html

Clarke burnt as MPs revolt over ID cards
http://tinyurl.co.uk/ep1c

Are ID cards legal under human rights legislation?
http://management.silicon.com/government/0,39024677,39126646,00.htm

Government withholds ID card legal advice
http://news.zdnet.co.uk/hardware/emergingtech/0,39020357,39181772,00.htm

ID cards will be used as a stick to beat poor
http://www.camdennewjournal.co.uk/121604/f121604_07.htm

A face-to-face interview to get your first passport
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/12/22/npass22.xml&sSheet=/news/2004/12/22/
ixhome.html

ID cards may become healthcare 'entitlement' cards
http://www.e-health-insider.com/news/item.cfm?ID=980

Policing is far more important than ID cards, says Redwood
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=3D/news/2004/12/30/nid30.xml

ID card bonanza for foreign firms
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/business/articles/timid396703

ID Cards: Citizens Advice highlights its concerns & issues
http://www.publictechnology.net/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=2266

(Please send me any items of interest you encounter - Editor)
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++ What You Can Do
-------------------

Like any campaign we need funds and people. Any help or expertise of any
kind you can spare will be most welcome. Most important is to get other
people involved and to understand the issues. ID-CARDS sound innocent:
what the government wants is ID-CONTROL. When people know that they (and
their children) may be fingerprinted like criminals and will be made to
register every change of address with the authorities, their attitude
changes. So:-

1. Tell your friends about the campaign and that you are supporting it.
Most people are scarcely aware of the government's ID database project,
and few understand the dangers. Feel free to redistribute this
newsletter to acquaintances. (But please do introduce it personally and
don't spam.) Your personal witness will help others understand that this
is important.

2. Sign the Petition and get your friends and (adult) family to do so.
http://www.no2id-petition.net/

3. Let us know if you have time or special expertise that you can give
to the organisation or facilities you can lend us. The campaign is
getting bigger, but needs to grow some more. Fast. We urgently need any
assistance you can offer. We can use any amount of professional creative
and marketing expertise as we begin to lift public awareness of the
issues, but it would be handy to have reliable people to answer the
phone.  Volunteer at: volunteer at no2id.net

4. Get together with others in your area to form a local group. A
national campaign needs a national network. Experienced campaigner Guy
Taylor (local.groups at no2id.net) is available to help local groups build
our nationwide presence. Guy can tell you how to hold a public meeting,
set out your stall locally (literally as well as metaphorically), and
how to get other people involved. If you have experience of local
campaigns then by all means just start -- we will offer what help we
can. Details of forthcoming meetings, when we have them, are posted on
the website.

5. Raise the issue for discussion in any organisations you belong to.
Everyone is affected in some way.  Encourage any club, union or other
group you are in that opposes ID control to become a supporter or
affiliate itself.

6. Write to the local and national press, to express your concerns
whenever there is relevant news. Phone-in to appropriate radio and TV
programs. There is plenty of information on (and linked to) the website
to help you do this.

7. Write to your MP and MEP expressing your disquiet and ask for *their
personal* opinion on specific issues. (Big-party MPs in particular 
sometimes avoid controversial matter, or may offer a standard statement 
of general party policy rather than answering for themselves.) 
FaxYourMP.com is a free and confidential way to get an answer.

8. Buy a T-shirt, and wear it. This publicises the message--people will
ask you what it means--and raises funds. Details on the NO2ID website.
Or buy online at:
http://www.ntkmart.co.uk/ntkmart.cgi#No2ID
or
http://www.cashncarrion.co.uk/cnb/shop/cashncarrion?listPos=&op=catalogue-products-null&prodCategory
ID=28

9. Join. Membership starts at GBP15 a year (higher contributions 
encouraged, and a modest standing order means a lot to us). It entitles
you to a say in the running of NO2ID. There is a membership form on the
website at www.no2id.net/content/join.html

10. Give generously. A few weeks back we had no money. Now we have a
little money, but we will always need more. The Home Office is planning
to spend billions.  But we will spend your money better.
Funds can be transferred to our HSBC Treasurer Account in the name of NO2ID
A/c no: 91339427
Sort Code 40-28-15
You can send a cheque, payable to "NO2ID" to: NO2ID, Box 412, 78
Marylebone High Street, LONDON W1U 5AP.
Special donation or sponsorship enquiries should be made to Guy Herbert
(general.secretary at no2id.net). Help in kind is equally welcome.

11. Link to us. Help us gather support on through the web by displaying
a button or banner (available on the website) on your own home site or
blog and linking to us.
-----------------------------

++ NO2ID Who's Who and Resources
-----------------------------
First port of call should be the website:
http://www.no2id.net/

+ If you have specific assistance or information to offer, you can
contact the following NO2ID people:

Chair of the Advisory Board - Simon Davies (chair at no2id.net)

Volunteer Staff:-

National Coordinator - Phil Booth (national.coordinator at no2id.net)

Administration
General Secretary - Guy Herbert (general.secretary at no2id.net)
Newsletter Editor - Charles Farrier (newsletter at no2id.net)
Production Manager - Katherine Davies  (production.manager at no2id.net)
Technical Manager - Owen Blacker (technical.manager at no2id.net)

Communications
Head of Campaigns - Andy Robson (campaigns at no2id.net)
Press Officer - Michael Parker (press.officer at no2id.net) 	
Public Affairs - Dave Walker (public.affairs at no2id.net)
Parliamentary Liaison - Rachael Marsh (parliamentary.liaison at no2id.net)
Events Manager  Cassandra Rae (events at no2id.net)

Development
National Secretary - Adam McGreggor (national.secretary at no2id.net)
Local Group Coordinator - Guy Taylor (local.groups at no2id.net)
Student Organiser - Nick Pauro (students at no2id.net)

Research
Head of Research - Ian Brown (research at no2id.net)

Regional Coordinators
London - Andrew Weston (london at no2id.net)
Scotland - Trevor Mendham (scotland at no2id.net)

+ Please, please remember that everybody on this list is a volunteer,
and all will be getting a huge amount of email, so you should only
direct enquiries to the relevant person. We are grateful for all offers
of help, but can't guarantee to have time to give detailed answers to
individual general queries on the ID scheme.  There is a lot of
information on the website and there will soon be much, much more.

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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