30th July 2009 from Manchester NO2ID

As the Home Secretary attempted yet another relaunch of the hated National Identity Scheme in Manchester today, NO2ID [2] announces it is launching a major new information campaign this autumn, as people in Manchester and the North-West prepare to become the guinea-pigs in the Government’s first attempt at a regional roll-out of the National Identity Scheme anywhere in the UK.

The populations of so-called ‘Beacon Areas’ in the North-West, including Manchester, will be encouraged to register voluntarily on the scheme, which will require them to hand over their fingerprints and consent to having their personal data held on the National Identity database for life.

In response to the Government’s action, NO2ID has pledged to work with the local media, trade unions, students’ organisations, community groups, Manchester City Councillors and MPs to explain exactly what this could mean for the lives, families and jobs of the population of Manchester and beyond.

At the beginning of October, NO2ID will be holding a series of events, meetings and protests in the city, aiming to raise awareness and allow the people of the North-West a voice in defending their way of life from this intrusive scheme.

In the coming weeks a new website will be publicising all aspects of the campaign, encouraging individuals, groups and communities to come together and plan their contribution.

Dave Page, NO2ID North-West regional co-ordinator, said:

What they’re keeping quiet is that once you are on that database, you can never come off it. From the moment you’re registered you’ll have to tell the authorities of any change in your circumstances for the rest of your life – and pay whatever fees they ask for the ’service’. You’ll never know who’s looking at your details.

It won’t protect our safety. It won’t be convenient – except for Whitehall. This scheme is an expensive and dangerous con. The people of Manchester aren’t stupid, Sir Humphrey.

Phil Booth, National Co-ordinator for NO2ID, said:

People in the North West are smart enough to read the small print. Once you’re on the ID database you’ll never be free – you’ll be locked
in for life. Inform yourself, inform others. Don’t be a guinea-pig. Together we can beat this insidious scheme.

-ENDS-

Notes for editors:

1) ‘National ID card unveiled’, BBC News, 30/7/09 -
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8175139.stm

2) NO2ID is the UK-wide non-partisan campaign against ID cards and the database state. See http://www.no2id.net/dbstate for a list of ‘database state’ initiatives that NO2ID is actively opposing, and http://www.no2id.net/datasharing for how it all fits together.

26th July 2009

Support for the Government’s national identity scheme has all but vanished. A YouGov poll commissioned by the Sunday People [1] shows that 79% of the public think the money earmarked for the ID card scheme is better used on something else. This figure is a complete reversal of public opinion since the scheme was launched by David Blunkett, and a triumph for opponents.

This latest collapse in public support follows attempts by Ministers to spin ID cards as ‘voluntary’, with no real change in the underlying programme. Regulations were approved last week to bring in fees, fingerprinting, lifelong compulsory notification and penalties for everyone registered on the ID database [2]. From 2011, this would include everyone applying for a passport according to those plans.

Phil Booth, National Coordinator of NO2ID said:

The game is up. The ID scheme is exposed as a bureaucrat’s luxury that can now only be imposed by bullying and subterfuge.

We don’t trust Whitehall to ‘manage’ our identities and we don’t want it to spend massive amounts of tax money to do so. If the Prime Minister wants to look responsive and decisive he will shut down the programme on Monday morning.

-ENDS-

Notes for editors:

1) YouGov poll / Sunday People (Representative figures for UK from online survey of 1765 adults, 21-23 July 2009)

Poll question: The Government is proposing identity cards costing around £5 billion. What do you think the money should be spent on?
- ID cards as planned: 15%
- Cutting the basic rate of income tax by 1p for one year: 19%
- Increasing the state pension by £8 a week for one year: 36%
- None of these: 24%
- Don’t know: 5%

2) Earlier this month the government passed several key Statutory Instruments under the Identity Cards Act 2006 awarding itself powers to share information held on the ID database without consent, to charge fees, issue penalties and enforce lifelong self-reporting and fingerprinting.

3) NO2ID is the UK-wide non-partisan campaign against ID cards and the database state. See http://www.no2id.net/dbstate for a list of ‘database state’ initiatives that NO2ID is actively opposing, and http://www.no2id.net/datasharing for how it all fits together.