tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15746636363242201292011-11-04T20:23:47.114ZThis blog is a point of reference for all those interested in the activities and progress of no2id, Thanet branch. Our goal is to stop Britain becoming an ID-Database state. Please join our campaign. All comments welcome.Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04486257063351465614noreply@blogger.comBlogger321100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1574663636324220129.post-30877548493429538682011-02-05T00:08:00.000Z2011-02-05T00:08:00.494Z

We buried identity cards...not sure if excessive state power has ended, but I'm with the Coalition government as far as civil liberties go. New Labour were on a road to nowhere with ID cards. Nice that Laura gives us a mention in her weekly column. I voted for her in the last election, from overseas at a cost of 85 pounds via DHL! In the end, she didn't need my tactical vote, but I'm glad I

Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04486257063351465614noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1574663636324220129.post-12205058968239046232010-05-12T21:44:00.008+01:002010-05-13T06:08:06.271+01:00

So, our prediction that the (Labour) government's looney ID scheme was destined to flop looks like becoming a reality. This from an announcement on the government's Identity and Passport Service website: "Both Parties that now form the new Government stated in their manifestos that they will cancel Identity Cards and the National Identity Register. We will announce in due course how this will

Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04486257063351465614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1574663636324220129.post-48874570883079248932010-05-02T18:14:00.003+01:002010-05-02T18:27:15.425+01:00

We are pleased to report that so many candidates standing for election in the upcoming parliament are opposed to the introduction of National Identity Register-linked ID cards—the nexus of the government’s looney ID scheme. Even a few non-goofy Labour candidates have admitted that it was a mistake to support this disastrous and extremely expensive scheme. If you don’t believe me, then just take

Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04486257063351465614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1574663636324220129.post-71580436571267658702010-04-23T13:00:00.001+01:002010-04-24T05:59:30.440+01:00

NO2ID is a non-partisan pressure group and we do not tell people how to vote; we wish to stop the government’s ID scheme and repeal the Identity Cards Act (2006), and will work with politicians of any stripe to that end. That’s the official line, anyway. As we move closer to Election Day, and on the heels of our last post where we asked Thanet candidates to declare where they stood on the

Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04486257063351465614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1574663636324220129.post-75595446523673260722010-04-16T18:28:00.002+01:002010-04-16T18:37:51.331+01:00

Thanet NO2ID recently contacted Thanet constituency parliamentary candidates —the ones that had contact information readily available online that is—and asked them to comment on where they currently stood ref the government’s ID scheme. Here is my note together with the candidates’ responses listed in the order that they were received: Dear [name inserted] As a candidate standing in the

Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04486257063351465614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1574663636324220129.post-35359718203217243002010-04-11T19:27:00.001+01:002010-04-11T19:28:34.908+01:00

(The following statement reproduced from NO2ID's national website) The general election will be over in a month. But the struggle over ID cards has already lasted more than one parliament. The database state has built up huge momentum. Stopping it will require MPs of all parties to pay attention now — and take action for the long-term.The opposition parties have promised to scrap the ID scheme

Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04486257063351465614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1574663636324220129.post-46341204613430231242010-04-01T07:09:00.004+01:002010-04-02T12:10:04.249+01:00

The ruling Labour government is becoming increasingly desperate [edit out April Fool's story from Guardian] It is the constant snooping and move towards total social control that marks the redundancy of this government. In the following press release, forwarded to me by James, NO2ID North of England coordinator, a Labour MP claims that scrapping the ID scheme will mean job losses. Rubbish!

Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04486257063351465614noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1574663636324220129.post-48147118603662266992010-03-01T18:08:00.001Z2010-03-01T18:12:07.973Z

I'm passing on some important information from NO2ID (I personally opted out from having my medical records uploaded onto a centralised database some time ago): The Department of Health is currently sending mailshots to people London and 4 other strategic health authorities, informing them of 'changes to your health records'. These changes are presented as necessary and inevitable but they are

Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04486257063351465614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1574663636324220129.post-45532918547353847152010-02-17T10:10:00.004Z2010-02-17T17:27:09.177Z

I find it interesting that six of the eleven assassins who recently bumped off a Hamas official in Dubai used false British identities—surely a joke on the nation that gave the world James Bond. It’s not very nice to wake up one morning and discover you are wanted by Interpol for murder. Especially puzzling when you find your passport is still in the drawer next to the bed. Of course, your

Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04486257063351465614noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1574663636324220129.post-5434090025551780102010-02-08T10:19:00.002Z2010-02-08T14:09:36.146Z

The government are rolling out ID cards in London. Whoopee. Here is the government spin: “The national identity card will prove an extremely useful tool for young people in London, whether they are opening a bank account, buying age-restricted goods such as computer games or DVDs, entering a nightclub or travelling to Europe.” Who does Meg Hillier think she is kidding, and why is she going

Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04486257063351465614noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1574663636324220129.post-90899338745066228682009-12-11T07:58:00.008Z2009-12-11T12:55:03.606Z

In this video (it's on google videos--see sidebar below) Phil Booth, NO2ID National Co-ordiantor, and Peter Tatchell talk about the ID Scheme. The interview makes for compelling viewing, and Phil sums up very well all that is wrong with this disasterous and politically dangerous project. Although the video was done a little while ago, I feel this highly relevant discussion serves as a good recap

Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04486257063351465614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1574663636324220129.post-7127473122714123022009-12-10T19:13:00.004Z2009-12-10T19:39:09.116Z

I am delighted to pass on the following “hot” press release which indicates yet more resistance to the governments'looney ID scheme:Last night Liverpool City Council passed a motion - with the full support of the Labour group - rejecting the government's ID card scheme. The motion, prompted by reports that Liverpool may follow Manchester as a 'beacon city' for the roll out of the National

Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04486257063351465614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1574663636324220129.post-40721811762868823342009-08-05T10:18:00.009+01:002009-08-16T20:51:03.643+01:00

Another of our predictions, i.e.that the national register databse is NOT secure and WILL be compromised, has already come true. OK, so nine people have been sacked for data breach. But it's not their fault--the hairbrained ID scheme is inherently flawed in design and concept. Unyet our dumbo government are pushing ahead with ID cards and the associated database in an appalling display of

Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04486257063351465614noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1574663636324220129.post-58137531738280148642009-08-04T14:15:00.007+01:002009-08-05T12:14:16.667+01:00

Thanet Tory Laura Sandys, who is standing for the Conservatives in Thanet South at the next general election, has come out loud and clear against ID cards. Her position on the duff ID card scheme, and her general orientation against state snooping, is highly commendable. As Laura says on her website, "Governments want to regulate our behaviour, our freedom of speech and now planning to monitor

Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04486257063351465614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1574663636324220129.post-65364471962759846242009-08-02T13:04:00.002+01:002009-08-02T13:16:42.858+01:00

Parliament recently passed some legislative “tools” to allow the authorities to impose fines on people for not updating their British ID Card—when and IF (don’t do it!) they get one. This just makes a mockery of the governments’ talk about ID cards being “voluntary.” Opposition to, or at least suspicion of, the ID card scheme has bloomed greatly among the British public this year, and I am

Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04486257063351465614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1574663636324220129.post-13935515036473118972009-05-16T09:57:00.003+01:002009-05-16T10:50:19.735+01:00

NO2ID is a non-partisan (i.e. non-party) campaign group which is fighting to keep Britain free. The biggest threat to our democracy, curiously enough, is our own government’s ID scheme, which if implemented will have the whole population numbered, tagged and tracked for life. I didn’t think it could happen in this country, but as soon as I heard the words “identity cards” I knew something was

Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04486257063351465614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1574663636324220129.post-72293744929327456872009-05-12T11:29:00.002+01:002009-05-12T11:50:50.000+01:00

As recent announcements from the Home Secretary testify, the government seem intent on pushing the ID scheme forward, against all advice and in the face of growing resistance. Manchester is the latest target where unwitting citizens are being encouraged to apply for the card, and in one stroke sign away their privacy for life. Our adivce is simple: DON'T APPLY FOR A BRITISH IDENTITY CARD. If

Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04486257063351465614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1574663636324220129.post-2148349471772695032008-09-15T18:29:00.003+01:002008-09-25T17:59:36.960+01:00

You might think that NO2ID is against ID cards—and we are—but there is a lot more to it than that. I am of course talking about databases. One thing I have noticed in the UK is that people are starting to act and talk like machines, i.e. they are behaving unintelligently. Databases are concentrations of identifiable data, and they are useful in lots of ways, but our increasing over reliance on

Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04486257063351465614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1574663636324220129.post-57177581393076977912008-09-10T18:54:00.009+01:002008-09-10T21:07:20.409+01:00

“Congress pledges to resist this [ID] scheme with all means at its disposal”Thus resolved the TUC recently in Brighton—hurray! NO2ID salutes this landmark resolution which marks a significant step-up in worker resistance to the government’s database-backed ID card scheme, resistance we predicted would emerge back in December last year when Thanet NO2ID was founded. The motion against the ID

Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04486257063351465614noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1574663636324220129.post-25765961786895931292008-08-30T19:15:00.006+01:002008-08-30T20:17:27.642+01:00

Dover NO2ID and Thanet NO2ID joined forces today by, fittingly, the Dover War Memorial. In beautiful sunny weather, and in a good location, the campaigning was effective. We once again got our excellent leaflet into the hands of the public, many of whom may be thinking about this issue seriously for the first time. A few people argued with us, but all discussion was even-tempered and mutual

Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04486257063351465614noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1574663636324220129.post-53393662458075916172008-08-20T17:54:00.005+01:002008-08-24T11:10:30.789+01:00

Because, according to this interesting article in The Telegraph, you are on average being recorded 3000 times a week!

Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04486257063351465614noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1574663636324220129.post-56988061920589673352008-08-17T13:24:00.005+01:002008-08-17T23:35:39.212+01:00

Thanet NO2ID recently attempted to campaign at the Westwood Cross shopping centre in Broadstairs. Though some people dislike Westwood Cross there is no denying its popularity and we were keen to see if we could make a dent in this privatised zone of unlimited consumption. Our attempt was always a long shot and sure enough it was not to be. Within about one minute of setting up (in a discreet

Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04486257063351465614noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1574663636324220129.post-57659064086650683322008-08-11T17:22:00.007+01:002008-08-23T22:37:43.132+01:00

Thanet NO2ID has been actively campaigning on the street in a summer offensive. Campaigning is a great experience and I always feel refreshed by the struggle. But there again it is not that much of struggle—very few people are in favour of the government’s ID database scheme once it has been properly explained to them what it all entails. Loads of Thanet people have signed our NO2ID

Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04486257063351465614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1574663636324220129.post-15471292834086549632008-06-28T17:51:00.004+01:002008-07-17T18:57:00.984+01:00

Quite a lot has been going on recently. Among other things, the public’s attention is now temporarily focused on the issue of excessive surveillance. NO2ID is certainly concerned about the burgeoning surveillance society, and we would question, for example, whether it was really necessary to set up such an expensive, though essentially limited, high-tech surveillance operation at the recent

Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04486257063351465614noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1574663636324220129.post-24241727148408205572008-03-22T11:31:00.010Z2008-06-24T07:34:31.776+01:00

Instead of wasting hundreds of millions of pounds on compulsory ID cards as the Tory Right demand, let that money provide thousands of extra police officers on the beat in our local communities. Tony BlairHere here to that, but oh dear Blair the flibbertigibbet came to change his mind so disastrously on ID cards—a war here, an ID card scheme there, it all seemed like a good idea at the time, but

Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04486257063351465614noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1574663636324220129.post-52994144835632085952008-02-16T16:44:00.005Z2008-02-17T21:50:44.907Z

Thanet NO2ID and Canterbury NO2ID campaigned outdoors today and walked straight into a groundswell of support. In Margate high street a surprising number of people were aghast at the governments ID card scheme and eagerly signed the NO2ID petition. Meanwhile, in Canterbury the local NO2ID group once more gathered donations and signatures aplenty.Of the people we spoke to perhaps one in ten

Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04486257063351465614noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1574663636324220129.post-22986524909683104072008-02-09T19:12:00.001Z2008-03-20T21:19:56.166Z

Thanet NO2ID recently had the pleasure of meeting Stephen Ladyman, Labour Member of Parliament representing Thanet South since 1997. Until the end of last year, Dr Ladyman held the Minister of Transport portfolio in the government. He is now Vice Chair of the Labour Party with special responsibilities in the southeast. He has been an active proponent of the British Identity Card and has voted for

Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04486257063351465614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1574663636324220129.post-33909655917095342662008-01-19T20:28:00.000Z2008-02-01T12:07:37.331Z

Those Thanet residents who think that ID cards might be a good idea have probably been hoodwinked into believing that the scheme will help deal with one or other of the following problems: terrorism, identity theft, illegal immigation and benefit fraud. Unfortunately, the ID-database scheme will not help solve any of these problems, and its introduction is much more likely to make them worse.

Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04486257063351465614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1574663636324220129.post-36792125059626870002008-01-12T18:52:00.000Z2008-01-13T12:53:59.984Z

Thanet NO2ID will be holding its inaugural informal meeting 7.00pm, Friday 25th January (2008) at the Pascucci café, 14 Buenos Ayres, Margate. The café is located on the corner of the row of Georgian houses that face out over Margate beach near Margate railway station. The café, normally closed winter evenings, is opening especially for us. Drinks and food can be purchased.The purpose of the

Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04486257063351465614noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1574663636324220129.post-26899396816765658512008-01-05T21:20:00.000Z2008-01-08T13:24:50.148Z

Thanet NO2ID recently had the pleasure of meeting Roger Gale, long standing Conservative Member of Parliament representing the Thanet North constituency. Of course, NO2ID is an independent campaigning organisation and we do not endorse political parties or political candidates. It is a fact, however, that Mr Gale has a record of opposing grandiose identity-related schemes and voted against the

Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04486257063351465614noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1574663636324220129.post-14654345815049686702008-01-05T21:09:00.000Z2008-01-07T11:40:03.813Z

Recent discussions with various members of the public seem to indicate there is widespread ignorance about the government’s proposed ID scheme, now well on its way to becoming a reality. Not everyone is clueless, but a significant number of young people and, for want of a better expression, working class people remain uninformed about the ID juggernaut that is hurtling towards them. For the

Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04486257063351465614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1574663636324220129.post-1233208147199434012007-12-29T18:21:00.001Z2008-02-15T11:58:54.035Z

A spectre is haunting Britain, and that spectre is the ID-Database State (IDS). Many people will be aware, vaguely, of the passing of the Identity Cards Act in 2006. Few people it seems have yet fully comprehended what the connection between identity cards and the proposed National Identity Register (NIR)—tellingly the first thing listed under the contents page of the above mentioned Act—really

Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04486257063351465614noreply@blogger.com0