*Contacting us:* Call or email the office – 020-7793-4005 or (office@no2id.net).
+ BROWN CONS OWN CONFERENCE ON ID CARDS +
The biggest cheer that Brown got at the Labour Party Conference was when delegates thought he had announced that the ID scheme had been cancelled. He did not. He only repeated the same misleading things that every Home Secretary has said about the scheme since it was first mooted. But he did so with a flourish, as if announcing something new.
This seems to have fooled a lot of people to judge from newspaper reports and our own mailbag. All Brown said was that the scheme would be ‘voluntary’ to start and would not be compulsory for a while. As ever he focussed public attention on the cards and said nothing about the database.
Remember that the Home Office’s idea of “voluntary” is probably different from yours. It means a scheme you cannot ever leave (unless it dies before you do) once you “agree” to be included. And it is a scheme that you will be compelled to “volunteer” for if you ever wish to apply for any official document “designated” by the Home Secretary, the first of which is planned to be a passport – from some point in 2011.
More explanation of the Home Office’s clever plan here: www.no2id.net/pledge/how.php
*+ Manchester: exposing the ID Card Con +*
Though it plans to force us all to take part, the UK Identity and Passport Service (UKIPS) is looking to hook a few genuine volunteers so that it can claim that the scheme is popular. For unclear reasons Manchester has been chosen as a ‘beacon city’ for this hunt for the gullible, so NO2ID is mounting a counter-campaign this autumn. It begins on the Saturdays of 10th and 17th October, when campaigners from Manchester supported by volunteers from all over the country will be taking information stalls onto the streets of Greater Manchester to begin telling the people of the North West about the reality of the ID scheme under the slogan: Don’t be a Guinea Pig.
More details here: www.idcardcon.org and Manchester NO2ID contacts in the local groups section.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
What just happened?
*+ More ID scheme Statutory Instruments introduced +*
More proof that the government is pressing ahead with its ID scheme has emerged in another round of Statutory Instruments being introduced before parliament and coming into force within the next few weeks (despite parliament being in recess until 12th October). These include ‘SI 2009 No. 2574 – The Identity Cards Act 2006 (National Identity Registration Number) Regulations 2009'. This relates to the unique database number that will be issued to anyone who signs up to the scheme, it states: “A National Identity Registration Number shall provide no information in respect of a person other than that an entry in the Register has been made and that the entry has been given that number” – in other words the number will be just a number to people without access to the database. Of course what it doesn’t explain is that this number will be used to link records in multiple databases across government and the private sector, allowing dossiers to be constructed of all citizens in the scheme. * + NO2ID Northern England coordinator appointed +*
With NO2ID’s local groups network growing fast, particularly in the North where the Home Office seems currently to be concentrating its efforts, we are buttressing support for volunteers in the North of England. James Elsdon-Baker, our current volunteer co-ordinator for Yorkshire has agreed to give up his current academic job and work approximately three days a week (kindly funded by the Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust Ltd) helping the formation and activities of NO2ID supporters’ groups. If you are north of the Wash and south of the border and would like to start NO2ID activity in your area, then please contact James at north@no2id.net or 07817605162.
*+ Creeping demands for ID +*
A NO2ID supporter recently spotted disturbing evidence of a shift towards an ID culture in the UK whilst watching the channel 5 television programme “Brighton Beach Patrol” broadcast on 11th September. At around 18 minutes into the programme, a policeman rushes over to a man, pushes him against the wall and shouts “ID NOW” at him. Our supporter explains: “When the man says that he doesn’t have any ID, the policeman says that he’s under arrest for failing to provide identification and being anti-social. I’m aware that the police (and CSOs) have the power to demand your details if they have reason to believe you have been, or are, engaging in anti-social behaviour and it’s an offence to refuse or to give false details, but as far as I know this hasn’t been changed to give them the power to demand ID, although they certainly seem to think it has in Brighton”. The programme can be viewed online at: demand.five.tv/Episode.aspx?episodeBaseName=C5148650002
*+ Plans for compulsory dog chip ID / National Database of owners +*
Both the Conservative and Labour parties says they support plans to compulsorily microchip all dogs in the UK and place their owners’ details on a national database, claiming that it will help to reduce the number of stolen and stray dogs. A 2007 press release from the Dogs Trust revealed that the number of stray dogs in the UK fell by 25% between 1997 and 2007 without such extreme measures being introduced and the Control of Dogs Order 1992 already creates an offence of a dog in a public space not wearing a collar and name tag. The plans are presented as being widely supported, yet an Early Day Motion tabled in parliament in May calling for compulsory chipping has attracted the signatures of just 45 MPs, whereas EDM 1352 congratulating Burton Albion Football Club on winning the Blue Square Premier title has received 49 signatures. All horses now have to have a Horse Passport and an implanted chip, and from next year all sheep will have to have an electronic tag as well.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
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”. The UKIPS website states that “Independent scrutiny is vital to the success of the National Identity Service (NIS)”. Apparently they want to “put the public at the heart of our service” and are “committed to making sure that the way we work is completely transparent and that people, businesses and the Government know their rights and responsibilities”. 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
*+ Government changes tack on ID card tech – ZDNet 8/10/09 +*
The Identity and Passport Service has changed its plans for storing ID card data, following the failure of a centralised government database to meet security requirements. However, the government has not ruled out storing biographical details on the database, the Department of Work and Pension’s (DWP) Customer Information System (CIS), in the future.
news.zdnet.co.uk/security/0,1000000189,39796446,00.htm
*+ Tories put faith in passport ID – BBC News online 7/10/09 +*
The Conservatives will “retrench” to a passport database when they scrap the ID scheme, Chris Grayling has said. The shadow home secretary told a Tory fringe meeting there was no need for an identity card scheme storing 49 pieces of information about every citizen.
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8295863.stm
*+ ID card officials back away from scandal-hit database – Computer Weekly 6/10/09 +*
The Home Office has confirmed it is reconsidering plans to use the Customer Information System to store biometric data for the ID card scheme. The Customer Information System (CIS) – which is run by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) – has yet to meet the Cabinet Office’s latest standards on IT security, Computer Weekly has learned.
www.computerweekly.com/Articles/2009/10/06/238017/id-
card-officials-back-away-from-scandal-hit-database.htm
*+ Politicians and celebrities granted permission to keep their names off child database – Daily Mail 3/10/09 +*
Tens of thousands of politicians and celebrities will be allowed to keep their names off a new Government children’s database, ministers said yesterday. Their identities will be ‘shielded’ on the list which will carry details of 11 million children in England and their parents.
www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1217793/Politicians-
celebrities-granted-permission-names-child-database.html
*+ A deeply flawed DNA test – The Guardian 2/10/09 +*
A Home Office experiment with the DNA of asylum seekers to establish their likely race and place of origin is causing outrage and alarm among scientists. Sir Alec Jeffreys, the inventor of DNA fingerprinting, called the human provenance pilot project, run by the UK Border Agency “naive and scientifically flawed”.
www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/henry
porter/2009/oct/02/dna-test-asylum-seekers
*+ Government reverses Brown’s passport pledge – Kable 1/10/09 +*
In his speech to the Labour party conference on 29 September 2009, the prime minister said: “We will reduce the information British citizens have to give for the new biometric passport to no more than that required for today’s passport.” However, the IPS said it is making no changes to its plans, and confirmed that this includes adding fingerprints to British passports.
www.kable.co.uk/gordon-brown-01oct2009
(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.
_*+ Alexandra Palace +*_
*+ 14th October – Alexandra Palace NO2ID Monthly Meeting (2nd Wednesday of month) +*
Wednesday 14th October, 8:15pm at The Gate pub on Station Road (N22 7SS). All welcome. For further details please contact alexandra.palace@no2id.net
_*+ Birmingham +*_*
+ 21st October – Birmingham NO2ID Meeting + *
Wednesday 21st October, 7:30pm at Bennetts Bar, 8 Bennetts Hill, B2 5RS.
*+ 24th October – Birmingham NO2ID Street Stall + *
Saturday 24th October, from 11am onwards in Birmingham City Centre.
_*+ Cambridge +*_
*+ 10th October – Cambridge NO2ID trip to Manchester +*
Saturday 10th October, Cambridge NO2ID supporters will be travelling to the Manchester area to run a couple of street stalls in support of the day of action . Free transport available, leaving Cambridge at 0800, returning in the evening. If you’d like to join us for the day, please get in touch: cambridge@no2id.net.
*+ 24th October – Cambridge NO2ID Street Stall +*
Saturday 24th October, in the usual spot outside Cambridge Guildhall (www.aardvarkmap.net/mape/T5LZATLS) from 2pm (note new time). 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
_*+ Dorking +*_*
**+ 17th October – Dorking NO2ID in Manchester +*
Saturday 17th October — if you’d like to join us for the Manchester day of action please contact us at dorking@no2id.net
*+ 24th October – Dorking NO2ID Street Stall +*
Saturday 24th October – for meeting time and venue contact dorking@no2id.net
_*+ Dover +*_*
*To stay up to date with Dover NO2ID join our mailing list on:
lists.no2id.net/mailman/listinfo/no2id.dover
_**__*+ Edinburgh + *_***** **+ 17th October – NO2ID Edinburgh day trip to Manchester +*
Saturday 17th October, we are planning to take a day trip down to Manchester to run our street stall along with other groups in the coordinated day of action. If you would like to join us, please get in touch: edinburgh@no2id.net.
* **+ 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.
** _*+ Glasgow +*_
*+ Scotland: Government consultation on Draft Principles for Privacy Protection +*
On 31st August, the Scottish Government launched a 12 week consultation on the draft principles produced by its Privacy Working Group. These principles are intended to govern how personal information is handled by the government. 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 +*_* * *+
14th October – Ipswich NO2ID Monthly Pub Meeting (second Wednesday of every month) + *Wednesday 14th October – for more information email Bobby at ipswich@no2id.net or subscribe to mailing list at
www.no2id.net/mailman/listinfo/no2id.ipswich
_*+ Lancaster +*_
Subscribe to the Lancaster NO2ID e-mail list at
www.no2id.net/mailman/listinfo/no2id.lancaster
_*+ Leicester +*_
*+ 30th September – Leicester NO2ID Monthly Meeting +*
Wednesday 30th September, 8:30pm at The Lancaster Arms, 234 Green Lane Road, Leicester. LE5 4PA
_*+ Manchester +*_
*+ 14th October – Manchester NO2ID Monthly Meeting +*
Wednesday 14th October, 7-9pm in the Town Hall Tavern, Tib Lane, Manchester. Sadly, this venue is not wheelchair accessible; please contact us on manchester@no2id.net if you have accessibility needs. At our monthly meetings we discuss the state of the NO2ID campaign, what we’ve been up to recently and where we’re going in future. Everyone is welcome, newcomer or not, curious or committed. See minutes of our previous meetings at (manchester.no2id.net/taxonomy/term/5). We are always looking for volunteers to take and type up minutes from our meetings; it’s an easy way to help the campaign!
manchester.no2id.net/content/monthly-meeting-october-2009*
+ 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 _
*+ Stop the ID Card Con around Greater Manchester +*_
*+ 10th October – Greater Manchester Street Stalls +*
Saturday 10th October, from 12-5pm. At the launch of a new campaign against the rollout of ID cards in the North-West, NO2ID groups from around the country will be visiting Greater Manchester. The groups will set up street stalls in town and district centres to tell people “Don’t be a guinea pig, stop the ID con!” We are looking to hold public information stalls in Rochdale, Chorlton, Fallowfield, Oldham, Salford, Stockport and Wythenshawe among others. Groups from as far away as Edinburgh and Norwich will be helping to spread the word. If you’d like to come along and help out at one of our stalls, or have a suggestion for where we could hold another, please contact us on manchester@no2id.net to tell us where you’d like to be. The Government is launching a new push for the discredited, expensive and intrusive National Identity Scheme. They cannot be allowed to spread their misinformation unchallenged.
manchester.no2id.net/content/stop
-id-card-con-around-greater-manchester
*+ 17th October – Manchester City Centre Street Stalls, Drop-in Centre and Public Meeting + *
Saturday 17th October, from 12-5pm. NO2ID are holding an afternoon drop-in workshop at the Friends Meeting House on Mount Street, Manchester, where you can learn how to Stop the ID Card Con. This is a chance for all to come along, meet up with, and get involved in our campaign against the Database State. You will have a chance to chat with experienced campaigners to explore what you can personally do to help oppose the scheme, collect leaflets to spread the word, and have the opportunity to experience helping out on one of our many street stalls that will be taking place around the City Centre. NO2ID and other campaign groups will be running stalls around Manchester City Centre encouraging people to get involved; groups from around the country will be coming to visit. If you’d like to volunteer to help out, please contact us on manchester@no2id.net
At 3:30pm there will be a free public meeting in the Friends Meeting House on Mount Street. We will be hosting a number of informative talks from campaigners on the issues surrounding ID cards and the Database state, which will be followed by an open question and answer session where attendees can participate in the debate. Following the meeting we will be heading out onto Albert Square to burn a mock ID card as a symbol our continued opposition to the scheme.
manchester.no2id.net/content/stop-id-card
-con-manchester-stalls-and-drop-workshop
**_*+ Norwich +*_
*+ 13th October – Norwich NO2ID Group Meeting +*
Tuesday 13th October, 7:30-9pm, Norwich NO2ID will be meeting at The Workshop Cafe (opposite The Black Horse), 53 Earlham Road, NR2 3AD, to discuss ways of keeping pressure on political parties to scrap the ID card scheme and all of the wasteful, unsafe databases, and how to raise awareness with the public. Come along to air your views and find more ways to get involved.
*+ 17th October – Norwich NO2ID Street Stall +*
Saturday 17th October, 1-3pm at The Haymarket, Gentleman’s Walk. Set the record straight on insipid, intrusive ID cards and devisive, derisory databases! Meet the public and spread the word!
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 +*_
*+ 17th October – Oxford NO2ID day trip to Manchester*
Saturday 17th September, we are planning to take a day trip up to Manchester to join several other groups in a coordinated day of action. If you are interested in this, again drop me an email at (oxford@no2id.net).
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/
* _*+ Shrewsbury +*_*
+ 17th October – Shrewsbury NO2ID Lunch Club and Street Stall +*
Saturday, 17th October – come for lunch at Rococo in Butcher Row at 12.30pm, and then join us on the street stall in Pride Hill. Let Rob Findlay know that you’re coming (shrewsbury@no2id.net or 07973 848910) so that we can grab enough table space for everybody.
_*+ Watford +*_* *
The Watford group is looking for people in the South West Hertfordshire area to join the group for our monthly meetings and street stalls. Meetings take place on a Tuesday evening and street stalls on a Saturday morning. Dates for the rest of 2009 are:
*+ 13th October, **10th November, 1st December**
– Watford NO2ID Monthly Meeting +*
*+ 24th October – Watford NO2ID Street Stall in Watford +*
*+ 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