24 March, 2005: Bobbing for publicity

So, a couple of bits of self-publicity. Firstly, the Cambridge Evening News did a nice piece on Cambridge No2ID with a picture of us on Monday. There was also a second piece -- not in their on-line edition -- with lots of comments from Andrew Watson. The most amusing part of this was that the chap writing the piece couldn't find anyone in favour of ID cards to talk to, and asked us for suggestions. We pointed him in the direction of Anne Campbell, but presumably she declined to say anything.

The ID Cards Bill was in the Lords on Monday; unlike the MPs, the peers seem to have spotted that the Bill is a bit of a catastrophe-in-the-making. The remarks of the Earl of Erroll were particularly notable in this regard. On the dangers of the National Identity Register, he asked,

What about leaks of information? Anyone believing that everything is safe nowadays and will not be leaked must be joking.

Finally, the register will become a prime terrorist target. Can you imagine the value of infiltrating someone on to it? There have to be mechanisms to switch ID. There are witness protection programmes, transgender reassignment, and agents in the field whose true identity must be concealed. Terrorists could have perfect access to the register.

This is not a new point, and it has been made here and elsewhere before. On this subject, the Daily Telegraph today published a letter from myself and others on the question of biometrics and witness protection. It's good to bring this to the attention of a wider audience.

So, I mentioned ID cards, and as a result you get to see holiday photographs:

Sea Green

Update: oh, the other thing I meant to mention here is that Monday's Cambridge Evening News had the front-page headline,

TORY BLITZ ON GYPSIES

I had not appreciated that it was Conservative policy to invade France, build airfields there, and dive-bomb southern England. I shall await their election manifesto with renewed interest.

Comments

Posted by James Fairbairn, Sunday, 27 March 2005 21:34 (link):
Hello Mr L,

Here's the permalink (ugh) to your letter to the Telegraph.

Hope this helps, and keep the home fires burning....

James

Reply to this.
Posted by Pete Stevens, Wednesday, 30 March 2005 11:28 (link):
Overzealous lawyers please take note. The following piece of writing is a joke and is not the official word of Charles Clarke, the Home Office or any other body or person(s) associated with the government.

Dear Mr Lightfoot,

Regarding your letter in the Daily Telegraph in which you state that the ID cards scheme would prevent the running of an effective witness protection scheme. This government has already addressed this issue with additional primary legislation (Prevention of Terrorism Act) which dispenses of the need for witnesses, and therefore no longer needs to protect them in order to secure a successful prosecution.

Yours Sincerely,

Charles Clarke MP

Reply to this.
Posted by Daniel Davies, Tuesday, 5 April 2005 23:13 (link):
Bang goes the ID bill ...

Can I get you to start a campaign against the redevelopment of my local pub?

Reply to this.
- Posted by Chris Lightfoot, Saturday, 9 April 2005 18:40 (link):
  Well, like a B-movie monster The Bill Will Be Back, after this brief election from our sponsors. But it's nice that it's dead for now.
  
  Can I get you to start a campaign against the redevelopment of my local pub?
  
  Actually I'd rather be on the winning side for once. So no:
  
  I think we need to face up to the facts here. In a very real sense, we will not be able to confront the challenges of the future unless we all back the project to redevelop Daniel's local pub. There are those who argue that redeveloping Daniel's local pub will bring no benefits to people who use Daniel's local pub or to Great Britain as a whole; even that to do so will be counterproductive. To those people I say only this: the world has changed and the comfortable certainties of yesterday are gone forever. The policies of the past -- the policies of our opponents, policies like not redeveloping Daniel's local pub -- will not work any more and they will not prepare Britain for the very real challenges which we have to face up to in the twenty-first century. I tell you this: advocates of these outdated policies are living in the past, and we will take no note of them. By redeveloping Daniel's local pub, we will be striking a blow for choice! Responses to our consultation exercise have shown that -- notwithstanding an organised campaign against our proposals by people who live in Daniel's local area, wherever that is -- there is overwhelming public support for redeveloping Daniel's local pub. Let me repeat that: public opinion is overwhelmingly in our favour! More than 80% of people support redeveloping Daniel's local pub. And furthermore, I must tell our opponents that I have received the strongest possible assurances from the security services that we must grasp the nettle, strike while the iron is hot, and redevelop Daniel's local pub with the utmost urgency. In a very real sense we face today a real terrorist threat, and the policies of the past will not work in the changed world of today. There are those who urge me to ignore that strong and compelling advice communicated to me by those in the front-line of the War on Terror; but to ignore that advice would be irresponsible and I will not do it. The time has come when we must realise that it is only by adopting the reality-based policies I advocate can we take Britain Forward, not Back, all together into the broad sunlit uplands of a better world, made possible by redeveloping Daniel's local pub. Imagine a world where nobody has to wait more than forty-five minutes to exercise choice, a choice which has made Britain great, a choice in the public services and in education. A choice which is open to every stakeholder in our society of equals. A choice made possible only by our key manifesto commitment to redevelop Daniel's local pub. Vote for me on May the Fifth! (contd. page 1984)
  
  Reply to this.
  - Posted by Daniel Davies, Saturday, 9 April 2005 20:04 (link):
    Can't win for losing, eh Chris?
    
    Reply to this.
    - Posted by Chris Lightfoot, Sunday, 10 April 2005 00:06 (link):
      Ha! I'm fated, clearly. Well done!
      
      Reply to this.

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