NO2ID News No. 95

10 April 2008

++ PLAY HUNT THE MINISTER - NO2ID CAMBRIDGE LEADS THE WAY ++

Meg Hillier, the minister in charge of the ID cards scheme, is apparently in the midst of a series of "invitation-only Ministerial consultation events" about the programme. According to the invitations being sent to local business and civic leaders, "The aims of [each] event are to outline the proposals within the recently published National Identity Scheme Delivery Plan 2008; to clarify issues raised; and to receive feedback from those who are able to attend." In practice, these events seem to be a sales pitch for the scheme, trying to encourage local councils and businesses to use ID cards.

Having got wind of the Cambridge event on 1st April just the afternoon before, Cambridge NO2ID organised a welcome for the minister, confronting her in an interview on BBC local radio just after 8am, then holding a demonstration outside the consultation event later in the morning. Despite the short notice, the protesters comfortably outnumbered the dozen or so invited attendees (several of whom were also sceptical about the scheme).

Anyone who considers themselves a business or civic leader, and is interested in being invited by the Home Office to attend one of these events (either to find out if there's one in your area, or to actually attend and offer the minister some feedback) might like to contact the Home Office: identitycards@ips.gsi.gov.uk

If you find out where the ministerial road show is going then please let us know immediately (national.coordinator@no2id.net), so that we can arrange another warm welcome for Meg Hillier.

The below links are to some of the press coverage Cambridge NO2ID generated about Ms Hillier's trip to Cambridge:

http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/cn_news_cambridge/displayarticle.asp?id=303502
https://publish.indymedia.org.uk/en/regions/cambridge/2008/04/395219.html
http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/cn%5Fnews%5Fletters/DisplayArticle.asp?ID=304924
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/ajwatson/no2id-audio/08-04-01_Radio_Cambs.mp3

++ HAVE YOUR SAY IN THE LOCAL PRESS ++

Writing to your local papers can be a effective way of informing people about the horrors of the government's ID scheme and the database state. One of our group co-ordinators writes: "I was in Sussex last month when the local paper, the County Times, featured propaganda claims by Home Office minister Meg Hillier. I got a full reply debunking her 'facts' into the following edition last Friday". With local elections coming up now is a good time to start a debate in your local papers on what the ID scheme and related initiatives are going to cost at the local authority level.

+ What's next? +

17th April - NO2ID at the SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT

Thursday, 17th April, NO2ID will host two sessions about Entitlement Cards at the Scottish Parliament. The information sessions for MSPs and Parliamentary researchers will highlight extensive similarities between the current implementation of the Scottish Entitlement Card Scheme (a.k.a. Citizens Accounts, Concessionary Travel Passes) and the proposed UK national identity scheme, which the Scottish Government and Parliament oppose. The sessions will feature presentations from NO2ID national coordinator, Phil Booth and retired academic and bus card campaigner, Dr. John Welford. The Improvement Service will also provide a representative to present their perspective on the issue. Contact Geraint (scotland@no2id.net) or John (edinburgh@no2id.net) for more details.

22nd April - Hillsiders meeting, Hampstead � 'LIFE IN THE DATABASE STATE'

Tuesday, 22nd April 7pm upstairs at The Magdala, South Hill Park, Hampstead. Free Admission. Guy Herbert, general secretary of the NO2ID campaign, will speak on what it will be like to live with the National Identity Register, followed by a panel discussion.

23rd April � SOUTH WEST / SOUTH WALES WEST MIDLANDS REGIONAL MEETING, BRISTOL

Wednesday, 23rd March 6:30pm at Friends Meeting House, 126 Hampton Road, Redland, Bristol BS6 6JE. Phil Booth, National Coordinator, and the Local Group Liaison Officer, Matty Mitford will be coming to Bristol for a meeting of all NO2ID groups in the South West / South Wales. Open to everyone who wants fight against ID cards and the database state on their patch.

Come and learn how to set up a group and campaign in your area;
Meet other campaigners and share ideas;
Find out where the ID scheme and related initiatives are heading;
Find out what you can do about it.

Open to all. Free.

25th April � COMEDY EVENT, Kilburn

Friday, 25th April 8pm at The Cock Tavern, Kilburn - "The Reality Show" being a panel game on conspiracy theories and fact - can the teams tell the difference? - chaired by long-time friend of the NO2ID campaign, stand-up Ben Norris. Tickets £10 from Ticketweb. This is not really a NO2ID event, but Robbie Williams has kindly autographed a T-shirt and some ladies underwear, which are to be auctioned, on the night with the proceeds of the auction going to NO2ID.

+ LOCAL GROUPS NEWS +

We now have local groups in 44 of the 69 proposed locations for interrogation centres - of which just 3 have yet to open. Parliamentary answers indicate that the most active centres are: Belfast, Birmingham, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Newcastle, Newport, Peterborough and Sheffield.

For information on your nearest interrogation centre, see www.no2id.net/getInvolved/idCentres.php. If you can help set up a local group in one of the remaining locations, or anywhere else in the UK, please contact Matty on local.groups@no2id.net

+ Cambridge +

19th April - NO2ID Cambridge Stall
Saturday, 19th April at 10am in the usual spot outside Cambridge Guildhall. Location Map: http://tinyurl.com/eo42r. As ever, volunteers to help very welcome - please email cambridge@no2id.net, or text/call Andrew on 07710 469624 if you can make it.

3rd May - Cambridge NO2ID benefit gig
Cambridge NO2ID we will be holding a benefit gig on Saturday 3rd May from 8pm, at The Locomotive, 44 Mill Road, Cambridge CB1 2AS. The line-up: Mousse - The Grisettes - Allotment. Admission £4 - proceeds go to support NO2ID's London HQ. Many thanks to the bands for contributing their time and talents: http://tinyurl.com/28da7v http://tinyurl.com/2z6z4n http://tinyurl.com/yv6cwl

7th May - Cambridge NO2ID pub meeting
Wednesday, 7th May 7.30pm at the Salisbury Arms, 76 Tenison Rd, Cambridge CB1 2DW (http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=cb1+2dw). For more details contact cambridge@no2id.net, or text/call Andrew on 07710 469624.

+ Canterbury +

19th April - Canterbury NO2ID Stall
Saturday, 19th April from 10am - 4pm on the High St. We are looking for some more help on the stall so if you want to be put on the rota please contact canterbury@no2id.net saying when you're free.

7th May - Canterbury NO2ID Meeting (1st Wednesday of each month)
Wednesday, 7th May 7pm at Coffee and Corks, Palace Street, Canterbury. Email canterbury@no2id.net for more info.

+ Coventry +

14th April - Coventry NO2ID meeting
Monday, 14th April 7p.m. in the Rocket pub [by Coventry train station]. All welcome.

+ Dorking +

We will be running a stall every other week in Dorking or other local town centres (Leatherhead, Reigate etc). We have also emailed a questionnaire to all Councillors standing for (re)election in Mole Valley. Assuming a favourable response, we will approach the Council to see if we can have a motion against ID Cards passed. We are also setting up a public meeting in September or October and are planning some type of picket outside the Crawley Identity and Passport Office.

6th May - Dorking NO2ID meeting (first Tuesday of month)
Tuesday, 6th May 7.30pm. at The Old House at Home, West St, Dorking.

+ Dover +

22nd April - Dover NO2ID Meeting
Tuesday, 22nd April from 8pm at Carmel Cottage, Bay Hill, St Margarets-at-Cliffe. All local members and supporters welcome. Informal agenda of business combined with social meeting. Some food and drink available. Public transport to this venue very limited � lifts might be arranged - contact dover@no2id.net

26th April - Dover NO2ID Street Stall
Saturday, 26th April, from 10am, weather permitting, in Dover town centre near St Mary�s Church in the Cannon Street pedestrian precinct.

+ Edinburgh +

30th April - NO2ID Edinburgh meeting
Wednesday, 30th April at 7.00 pm in The Library, Quaker Meeting House, 7 Victoria Terrace, Edinburgh EH1 2JL. The next Member of the Scottish Parliament to talk to the Edinburgh group will be Margaret Smith, Lib Dem, who proposed the civil liberties motion in the Parliament last December. She said: �We reject the compulsory ID card scheme... It is even more galling when one realises that people will be expected to pay for the privilege of owning an ID card. That privilege could cost each of us anything up to £300 for a card that polls have shown a majority of people do not want.� 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 http://www.no2id-scotland.net/edinburgh/

+ Glasgow +

Most Saturdays 2pm - NO2ID Glasgow Street Stall
Most Saturdays there are stalls in Glasgow city centre (usually Buchanan Street) from about 2pm. Volunteers are always welcome, please contact Geraint if you would like to help: glasgow@no2id.net

+ Hackney +

We are considering a regular leafleting session in Bethnal Green or Broadway Market. This need only be for an hour or so but it is worth it in terms of making it known that there is a campaign against the ID state. If you're interested in taking part contact hackney@no2id.net

+ Leeds +

++ Leed University Students say no to id cards ++
Students at the University of Leeds recently signed a motion opposing ID cards and the National Identity Register. The motion, passed by the university's branch of the National Union of Students(NUS), resolves to "lobby the NUS to make the official stance of the NUS anti-I.D cards".
For more information see http://www.luuonline.com/referendum/proposedmotions.php#seven

+ Manchester +

Manchester NO2ID Triumphs at Universal DNA Database Debate
A debate held at Manchester's Museum of Science and Industry on the possibility of recording the DNA of the entire UK population showed overwhelming opposition to the proposals, plus a swing even further against them over the course of the evening. Dr Carole McCartney, lecturer in Criminal Justice at the University of Leeds, presented a strong case for the presumption of innocence and highlighted the ineffectiveness of mass DNA storage on actually solving crimes.

12th April - Manchester NO2ID Street Stall
Saturday, 12th April 2pm-4pm in St. Ann's Square. We'll meet in the square itself at 2pm to set up shop; feel free to join us to lend a hand or just chat. You don't need any experience or equipment, just a bit of time to spare and a friendly smile!

14th April - "Taking Liberties" screening @ Student's Union
Monday, 14th April 7:30pm in Meeting Room 1, on the second floor of the Student's Union, Oxford Road. Manchester University's OPENMEDIA society will present a screening of the acclaimed documentary "Taking Liberties" which features NO2ID. Manchester Students Against ID and Manchester NO2ID supporters will be on hand to answer questions about ID cards and the database state.

16th April - Manchester NO2ID meeting
Wednesday, 16th April 7pm-9pm in the upstairs function room of the Town Hall Tavern, Tib Lane, Manchester. Sadly this venue is not wheelchair-accessible; please contact us if you have accessibility needs (manchester@no2id.net).

27th April - Manchester NO2ID Film Night @ FAB Cafe
Sunday, 27th April 7pm at the FAB Cafe on Portland Street, Manchester. Manchester NO2ID will be sponsoring a dystopian film screening - probably Terry Gilliam's excellent vision of a bureaucratic database state gone mad, "Brazil".

+ Newcastle +

12th April - Newcastle/Gateshead NO2ID street stall
Saturday, 12th April 11.00am � 1.00pm at the monument in Newcastle. Contact newcastle@no2id.net

+ Selby +

Selby District Council has passed an anti-ID card motion following a meeting with the council leader and email lobbying of council members. The motion calls on the "leader of the Council [to] write to the Home Secretary expressing these views and asking her to reconsider her insistence on pushing forward with this scheme".

15th April - Selby NO2ID meeting
Tuesday, 15th April 8 pm, Blue Bell, Monk Fryston. All welcome.

+ Southwark +

Southwark NO2ID will be attending the following events to distribute NO2ID material, collect petition signatures and hand out copies of the NO2ID Pledge:

18th April - The Synergy Project, in the SEOne Club
Friday, 18th April, The Synergy Project, in the SEOne Club London Bridge, Weston Street, SE1, starting at 10pm and finishing at 8am. More details available at : www.thesynergyproject.org where you can view the event programme.

19th April - Morning Star Conference �Globalisation: The Fightback�
Saturday, 19th April, Morning Star Conference �Globalisation: The Fightback�. To be held at Mander Hall, Hamilton House, Mabledon Place, London WC1H 9BD. Registration takes place at 9.30am and the event begins at 10am prompt. Mabledon Place is almost opposite the British Library; nearest tubes Euston, Kings Cross or St. Pancras. Early arrival is advisable as the hall takes only 250 people. Morning and afternoon plenary sessions and workshops. Conference supported by the Fire Brigades Union, The Prison Officers Association, Unite (T&G) and Unite (Amicus).

26th April - Campaign for an English Parliament �The future of England�
Saturday, 26th April, 10.30am to 4.30pm. Campaign for an English Parliament �The future of England�, an open one day conference on England's future post devolution. Speakers include Frank Field MP, Simon Lee, Senior Lecturer, Hull University). The event will be held at Conway Hall, 25, Red Lion Square, WC1. Nearest tube : Holborn.

+ What just happened? +

++ NO2ID - LONDON MAYORAL HUSTINGS ++

On Tuesday (8th April) NO2ID held a Mayoral election hustings event in London. The event was attended by all parties with London representation at Westminster, in Strasbourg or in the GLA, except the Labour Party. In Ken Livingstone's absence a life sized cardboard cut-out was placed on stage, much to the amusement of the audience. All the candidates that took part agreed that Oyster card (electronic travel card) and congestion charge data should not be used for any other purposes than collecting fares or charges without a warrant. They were united in calling for a change in the current practice, where details of passenger and driver movements are disclosed on request to the DVLA, police and certain other government agencies. Conservative candidate Boris Johnson pledged to cut up his ID card and said he would "sprinkle it on my cornflakes". Many thanks to all those who helped out on the night.

+ NO2ID MUSIC VIDEO ON YOUTUBE +

A music video of the catchy song 'Say NO 2 ID' has been posted on YouTube. The song is a foot tapping attack of the government's ID scheme and includes the lyrics: �Let's be realistic, everything they touch, takes twice as long, works half as well and costs ten times as much!� The performers hope to stimulate the parts more serious activism can't reach.
Watch the video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9HsnIGuHQQ

+ DATA RETENTION? INSPEKTOR KNACKER THINKS NOT +

German implementation of the EU directive on data retention would improve the crime clear-up rate �from the current 55 % to 55.006 % at best�. Says who? Says the BKA in a new report. And the BKA is Germany�s equivalent of Scotland Yard. Taxpayers are about to foot the bill for the new surveillance infrastructure, which German internet providers put at �332m, or just over £261m. A bit steep for 0.006% more villains behind bars. Especially as Germany�s Federal Constitutional Court has just ruled that the police can�t go on fishing trips through the data. They will have to show clear grounds for suspecting a specific serious crime.

++ THE ID SCHEME AND APRIL FOOL'S ++

On 1st April it was often hard to separate fact and fiction as many online news sites published spoof ID stories. Computer Weekly revealed that: �The government is to scrap its controversial £30 voluntary ID card system in favour of having every child born in the UK implanted at birth with a free radio frequency-based (RFID) identity marker.� Kablenet reported that: �the Ministry of Justice and Home Office said that citizens who had been issued an identity card and joined the register would be able to vote by internet in general elections, referenda, council and parish elections, and for trade union posts and building society boards.� And The Register's offering reported that: �In the summer of 2001, Whitehall officials saw the UK's national identity scheme as just the first step in a "five to fifteen year" strategy to create a comprehensive surveillance society.� It's a sign of the times when April fool jokes read like plausible government policy.

+ "ID" in the news +

+ Transcript disappears minister's 'hack-proof' ID register claim � The Register 9/4/08 +
At the end of February Home Office minister Meg Hillier explained the UK ID scheme security system to the Home Affairs Committee. Except she didn't, apparently, because by the time the Committee session transcript was published ...
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/04/09/hillier_id_deletion/

+ E-passport security flaw allows remote ID of nationality - The Register 8/4/08 +
Security researchers have discovered a technique for reliably detecting the presence and nationality of a nearby e-passport.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/04/08/e_passports_fingerprinted/

+ HSBC loses customers' data disc - BBC News Online 7/4/08 +
The HSBC banking group has admitted losing a computer disc with the details of 370,000 customers. The customers' details included their names, dates of birth, and their levels of insurance cover.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7334249.stm

+ ID card rebels offer £1,000 for Brown's fingerprints - The Observer 6/4/08 +
The anti-ID cards group No2ID and the campaign organisation Privacy International will this week take out spoof 'Wanted' posters in tube stations and pub lavatories offering the cash to anyone who can lawfully obtain either the fingerprints of Gordon Brown or Jacqui Smith. An initial print run of 10,000 has been commissioned.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2008/apr/06/idcards.humanrights

+ Child database will �pry into family life� - The Times 6/4/08 +
A new national children�s database will contain details of relatives with drinking problems and of relationship difficulties between parents.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article3690018.ece

+ Whose responsibility is the question of identification now? - The Scotsman 31/3/08 +
The opposition to the introduction of identity (ID) cards by the UK Parliament that has been voiced recently by the Scottish Government and some of the Scottish opposition parties is just one illustration of the increasingly complex debate taking place in Scotland as to the appropriate division of power between Westminster and Holyrood.
http://news.scotsman.com/uk/Whose-responsibility-is-the-question.3928893.jp

+ Get your German interior minister's fingerprint here - The Register 30/3/08 +
A hacker club has published what it says is the fingerprint of Wolfgang Schauble, Germany's interior minister and a staunch supporter of the collection of citizens' unique physical characteristics as a means of preventing terrorism.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/03/30/german_interior_minister_fingerprint_appropriated/

+ German court rules against ANPR scanners � The Irish Times 12/3/08 +
Germamy's Federal Constitutional Court has ruled that laws used by police to automatically scan car number plates to search for stolen vehicles violate privacy rights.
http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/motors/2008/0312/1205104648366.html

(Please send me any items of interest you encounter -
Editor(newsletter@no2id.net) )

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