[no2id-supporters] NO2ID Newsletter No.19

Fri Apr 15 13:26:21 BST 2005

NO2ID NEWSLETTER - Supporter's Newsletter No.19 - 15th April 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.)
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++ THEY'RE OFF!

In case you hadn't noticed, the General Election is now underway, with 
"ID Cards" taking a surprisingly prominent role.  (Not that that makes 
it easier to get the rational arguments heard: rather the opposite.)

With most manifestoes now published here are the most-backed runners:

Party Policies - a summary
--------------------------

Among registered parties ID cards, never mind state ID control, are not 
popular--not even with those normally thought of as extreme right. At 
the time of writing, only _one_ party apart from the Labour Party among 
the more than 270 registered in Britain has told us unequivocally that 
it is in favour of identity cards.  We're not going to name the guilty 
party here, but it isn't likely you have heard of it if you don't live 
in Rotherham.

+ The Labour Party:

The Labour policy is clear and stark: "We will introduce ID cards, 
including biometric data like fingerprints, backed up by a national 
register and rolling out initially on a voluntary basis as people renew 
their passports."

Do bear in mind that, despite the manifesto promise, elections are still 
about individual candidates.  There are several Labour Party candidates 
and many Labour Party members who are staunch defenders of civil 
liberties.  It is not a waste of time to get a safe Labour candidate 
thinking about the problems of identity control, or to support one of 
NO2ID's friends on the Government benches.

+ Other Parties:

Conservative - Neutral, no manifesto policy - many anti-ID candidates
Green - Opposed on principle
Liberal Democrat - Opposed on principle
Plaid Cymru - Opposed on principle
Scottish Nationalist - Opposed on principle
UK Independence Party - Opposed on principle

Northern Irish Parties - no clear declarations from the main parties 
that we know of, apart from Sinn Fein, who are opposed but will not take 
Westminster seats.  Please contact us with any Irish information.

Smaller Parties - many opposed - see our website for a list of those who 
have declared support for the campaign.

++ HOME OFFICE: PARLIAMENT IRRELEVANT

"There's no legal basis, but we'll do it anyway."  It is claimed this 
weeks that the Home Office is planning to press ahead with parts of the 
identity control scheme regardless of parliamentary approval.

On Tuesday, The Guardian reported that the royal prerogative will be 
used to create a fingerprint database of passport applicants. This would 
in effect be the start of the National Identity Register.

The Scotsman was told by a Home Office spokesman that fingerprinting 
doesn't require the ID cards bill and that it does not require 
legislation because it may become an EU passport requirement. The hint 
once more is there's no option.  EU regulations or royal prerogative? 
They should get their story straight.

As we have repeatedly pointed out, the UK is not bound by the EU 
biometric passport regulations.
In fact the EU Council declared that the UK government is *excluded* 
from taking part in the adoption
of the regulation, because it is not a signatory to the Schengen 
Agreements that remove border controls between EU countries. On the 25th 
March, the United Kingdom filed a case with the European
Court of Justice asking for the EU Council's decision to be reversed and 
for the to UK be allowed to
take part in the EU passport. So whatever else is happening, this is 
deliberate choice by UK policy makers.

++ BAD EXCUSES; MAD EXCUSES

+ Nothing to... [you know the rest]

On Thursday Bruce Anderson wrote in the Scotsman, reacting to stories: 
"Those of us who are
law abiding citizens have nothing to fear from fingerprint passports." 
Here we go again.  Mr Anderson does agree that being expected to produce 
an ID card on demand for police is an affront to British traditions of 
liberty. But he does not see the whole picture: the Home Office's 
stepping-syone strategy, and the key role of the surveillance database.

Using common cryptographic techniques one could have biometric passports 
that are
both matched to individuals and exceedingly hard to forge, without 
needing to keep a centralised database of personal details at all, let 
alone check it to authenticate a holder.  It would be massively cheaper, 
and protect privacy, and be more secure.  But that's not what interests 
the Home Office.

+ ID Cards will stop stabbings (?)

Notwithstanding that the murderer Kamel Bourgass was discovered by 
accident, and appears to have been successful in killing only by random 
violence, not planning, Mr Clarke promptly appeared on all channels, 
telling anyone who would listen that the case "proved" the need for ID 
cards. That standard of proof wouldn't have got him through the 
Mathematical Tripos when he was at Cambridge.

Shamefully, the media have largely failed to ask how diverting vast 
resources into interrogating, fingerprinting, numbering and tracking 
60-80 million others is supposed to be a cost-effective (or effective at 
all) means of controlling the covert actions of a handful of fanatics.

+ Special David Blunkett Award* for crazy ID-card excuses...

Goes to -- David Blunkett.  According to the godfather of ID, his 
favourite child is the sovereign solution to postal voting fraud. Of 
course, a moment’s thought reveals that ID cards wouldn’t prevent any 
kind of "citizen not present" fraud, such as fraudulent postal voting, 
precisely because the citizen and his ID card aren’t available to be 
verified.

SpyBlog adds:
"What about the hundreds of thousands of British people who live or work 
abroad, e.g. within the European Union is Spain or France, and who are 
entitled to vote but would not, under the Identity Cards Bill have been 
entitled to an ID card !"
http://www.spy.org.uk/spyblog/archives/2005/04/labour_postal_v.html

[*With apologies to Privacy International]

++ AND BAREFACED LIES

Charles Clarke is quoted this morning (15 April) as saying:
"The truth is ID cards would be law by now if the Conservative Party had 
not blocked them last week after nearly three years of discussion in 
Parliament."

It would be tiresome to detail all the untruths in that statement.  The 
central one is that "blocked".  Failing to cooperate in using a 
constitutional device invented only for the convenience of the present 
Government in 2001 to wave through a controversial Bill unamended and 
unscrutinised takes some stretching to count as "blocking".  Still, Mr 
Clarke wasn't entirely lying.  The word "The" is not in itself misleading.

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++ ELECTION CAMPAIGN
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+ Our election campaign:  now raising the level of debate

NO2ID will continue to campaign on ID cards and the database state in
the coming weeks.  We need to carry on informing the public.  But we 
also remain entirely non-partisan.

Candidates and parties can, and should, be encouraged to endorse the
campaign, even to use the NO2ID logo.  Some are already doing so.  But 
we cannot as a matter of principle offer support to particular parties 
or particular candidates.  (There are many in all parties who agree with
us, whatever nominal party policy.)

*New election rules mean we cannot mount a national campaign against 
particular candidates or groups of
candidates on the basis of their views on the Home Office Scheme, either.*

[Many people have asked, what rules? - The villain is the Political 
Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000, a vast, obscure, and 
untested piece of legislation affecting a general election for the first 
time now. Some interpretations of the Act would put an end to all 
unregulated political campaigns in Britain.]

What we can and will do is question candidates on their views, and
inform and lobby them.  We can also ensure the matter is raised in local 
campaigns by attending hustings, by taking part in radio phone-ins and 
by writing to the press.

+ NEW - "HOW to win the fight"

If you haven't got a copy of the splendid handbook by supporter Stuart 
Smith, "HOW to WIN the Fight Against the National Identity Card and the 
associated National Identity Register, send for one now.  It is a great 
guide to making the arguments.  All new enquirers to NO2ID are now given 
a copy, and it has been distributed too, through local groups.  Send an 
A4 stamped self-addressed envelope to the usual address: Box 412, 78 
Marylebone High Street, London W1U 5AP with a note of your email address 
(so we can check we have you your details are up to date)of a splendid 
handbook produced by supporter Stuart Smithand members

+ Lobby and question candidates

Please contact your candidates as soon as they are declared.  Tell them 
your views.  Ask theirs.  Let us know the results (if any).  Whatever 
happens there will be a lot of new MPs in the next Parliament and we 
need them to know this is important, whoever they are.

Please don't neglect council candidates.  There are council elections in 
many parts of Britain on the same day, May 5th.  The growing band of 
local authorities supporting the campaign are and important sign of our 
seriousness.  We need all new (and old) councillors aware of the likely 
effects of the scheme on local government.

+ Hustings Briefing

We will be issuing a "hustings briefing" in the next couple of days with 
suggested questions to ask, and hinst on using local hustings to get the 
anti-ID message across.  Email:hustings at no2id.net to get a copy.

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

+ 21 APRIL - MILTON KEYNES NO2ID MEETING

NO2ID Milton Keynes will be holding their next meeting on Thursday, 21st 
April 2005, 8pm at 8 Harebell Close, Walnut Tree, Milton
Keynes.
For further details, contact Steve on 01908 666168

+ CALLING ALL DESIGNERS and MARKETERS

Its clear we will need to take the campaign wider after the election. 
Local group events, and more general advertising of NO2ID, need visual 
material to attract public
attention, and to communicate the abstract dangers of the database
state.

We need great ideas (and great executions) for posters, pamphlets, ads 
and leaflets that can be spread around the country.  We'd like the 
designers and communicators among our supporters  to put their heads 
together.

If you have communications skills, get in touch, and we will put you 
together with some like minds.
(volunteer at no2id.net)

+ PETITION FORM

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

Like the UK population our petition is not only online. Collect names on
the petition form to demonstrate that opposition to identity cards is 
far larger than the government would have us believe.  Just download the 
form from our website, and send completed forms to the office address.

www.no2id.net/downloads/forms/NO2ID%20Petition.pdf

+ NO2ID LOCAL GROUPS

We now have approaching 60 local groups.  But we could do with 600 for 
the fight ahead.

If you'd like to start your own and become a local contact for your 
town, you should be a member and be prepared to be contacted by 
supporters and local journalists.

For a list of local groups and contacts see http://www.no2id.net/localGroups

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++ "ID" In the News

---------------------
+ Clarke calls for ID cards after imagining huge poison terror ring - 
The Register
The snag is that there was no ricin, the security forces' case for an
al-Qaeda link had been discredited in an earlier court case last week
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/04/14/wood_green_ricin_case/

+ French may have to buy compulsory biometric ID cards - PC Advisor
French citizens will have to pay for new identity cards that hold their
biometric information in electronic format and carrying the cards will 
become compulsory, if the Minister of the Interior gets his way
http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/index.cfm?go=news.view&news=4668

+ No delay for EU biometric passports - EDRI
The United States will not allow for any further delay in the
introduction of biometric identifiers in passports of EU citizens 
travelling to the US
http://www.edri.org/edrigram/number3.7/biometrics

+ European Commission report identifies challenges of biometrics - EU
A report released by the European Commission on 30 March 2005 identifies
how biometric technologies - including fingerprint, iris and face 
recognition - will
impact on our daily lives
http://europa.eu.int/idabc/en/document/4066/355

+ UK ID card scheme 'will be back' - Silicon.com
The home secretary has pledged to stand by the ID cards bill if
re-elected as opposition parties reject claims they have 'killed' the 
legislation 
http://management.silicon.com/government/0,39024677,39129354,00.htm

(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/
and
http://www.no2id.net/downloads/index.php
for one you can print out.

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.
There's a guide to what's involved at
http://www.no2id.net/downloads/index.php

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.  Contact your Councillor and ask questions about the costs for the 
council, and the effect on council services and the police precept.

9. 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/

10. 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

11. 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.

12. 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.
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++ NO2ID Who's Who and Resources
-----------------------------
First port of call should be the website:
http://www.no2id.net/

IF you can't find what you need on the website...
General enquiries to: enquiries at no2id.net
Press enquiries *only* to: press at no2id.net

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

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)
Technical Manager - Owen Blacker (technical.manager at no2id.net)
Office Staff - office 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)

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 2005 - 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