Do the Unions Back ID Cards?

bristol | policing | news report Tuesday August 05, 2008 18:46 by no2id supporter

No2ID News Update

NO2ID News No. 103

31 July 2008
"The government claimed this week that "the unions have backed ID cards". The declaration came after Labour’s National Policy Forum held at the University of Warwick. However we'd like to know precisely what that "backing" consists of."

++ ALL CHARGES AGAINST NO2ID PROTESTORS DROPPED ++

Last week the Procurator Fiscal (Scottish public prosecutor) dropped all charges against the nine NO2ID campaigners who were arrested in Edinburgh at the end of June. The nine were arrested after they staged a peaceful protest at an invitation only Home Office so-called "public consultation" and were due to appear before Edinburgh Sheriff's Court on 24th July; but just hours before the hearing the case was closed and all charges were dropped.

The campaigners would like to thank everyone who sent messages of good will and money to support their legal defence. Leftover funds will be used to help NO2ID continue to campaign against the national identity scheme.

+ GOVERNMENT MAKE CLAIM OF UNION BACKING FOR ID CARDS +

The government claimed this week that "the unions have backed ID cards". The declaration came after Labour’s National Policy Forum held at the University of Warwick. However we'd like to know precisely what that "backing" consists of.

Several large unions have been very sceptical in the past, some are actually affiliated to NO2ID and a few of the others have previously shown an interest in affiliation. Last week members of the Public and Commercial Service Union staged strikes at passport offices around the country, blaming ID cards software for passport service job cuts. Whilst unions representing airline workers have expressed their opposition to issuing ID cards to airport workers next year. So what is this so called backing?

If you are a union members perhaps you can ask your union if they were consulted and if not why not?

The TUC conference will take place in Brighton 8th - 11th September at the Brighton Centre and we intend to have a NO2ID presence there. Our Union Liaison, Christina Zaba (union.liaison@no2id.net) has written a piece in the current edition of Modern Government highlighting the fact that the Identity Cards Act 2006 introduces sentences of up to 10 years for taking industrial action affecting the register. If you can help us at the TUC conference or you have further information from your union on the "backing" then please contact Christina at union.liaison@no2id.net

+ 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

+ Bristol +

+ 6th August - Bristol NO2ID meeting +
Wednesday, 6th August 7-8pm at White Bear on St Michael's Hill. Come and meet your friendly local campaigners. If you'd like to keep up to date with what the Bristol group is getting up to, please join the mailing list at http://www.no2id.net/mailman/listinfo/no2id.bristol

What just happened?

+ Human Genetics Commission calls for innocent to be removed from DNA Database +
The Human Genetics Commission has published a report of their "Citizens’ Inquiry into the Forensic Use of DNA and the National DNA Database (NDAD)". The report lays out 29 core recommendations, the first of which is the "need for a nationwide public awareness campaign about the NDNAD that will reach all sections of the population". The inquiry felt that there "should be an independent body with broad membership, constituted by statue specifically to oversee the NDNAD". The majority of participants also concluded "that there should be harmonisation between approaches in Scotland, and England and Wales, and that the Scottish approach should be favoured". In Scotland innocent people are taken off the database and they do not record ethnicity.
The report can de downloaded at: http://www.hgc.gov.uk/Client/document.asp?DocId=158&CAt...yId=8

+ Information Commissioner releases Annual Report +
The Information Commissioner's annual report has been published, which looks back at data protection and freedom of information issues over the last year. In relation to proposals by the government to construct a database holding the details of the telephone and internet communications of the entire population the report says: "Any such scheme would require the fullest public debate to establish whether, whatever the benefits, it amounted to excessive surveillance as a step too far for the British way of life".
The report can be downloaded at: www.ico.gov.uk/Home/about_us/what_we_do/corporate_information/annual_reports.aspx

+ Song speaks out against loss of liberties in UK +
A song lamenting the loss of privacy and the loss of liberty in Britain today has been written by singer/songwriter James Neilson Graham. The song is entitled 'Oh What a Liberty!' and uses satire to address issues such as CCTV and ID cards. James tells us that the song (which is copyright) is in line to be revised and re-cast.
Listen to the track online at: http://www.esnips.com/doc/3e9505db-1ffd-46e6-a33e-ea365...ack-1

+ We’re not fundamentalists - personal information deserves respect +
NO2ID's Guy Herbert writes in The Guardian, responding to an article arguing that the state has an automatic right to our personal information:
http://www.no2id.net/newsblog/?p=909

"ID" in the news

+ Implied consent set to be scrapped for SCR - e-Health Insider 30/7/08 +
The implied consent model for the Summary Care Record (SCR) looks set to be scrapped in favour of a simpler consent model following a recommendation from Connecting for Health’s advisory group.
http://www.e-health-insider.com/news/4012/implied_consent_set_to_be_scrapped_for_scr

+ Hungarian Roma MEP defends Italian fingerprinting idea - Politics.Hu 30/7/08 +
Livia Jaroka, a Hungarian MEP of Roma origin, defended the Italian government's decision to fingerprint the Roma residing in illegal camps in Italy. In her view, the fingerprinting will enable Italian authorities to provide immigrants, including children, with personal identification documents.
http://www.politics.hu/20080730/hungarian-roma-mep-defe...-idea

+ Britain tightens visa rules for foreign students - The Economic Times 30/7/08 +
Britain on Wednesday unveiled stricter visa rules under which students from India and other non-European countries will require to provide their fingerprints and prove that they have money to support themselves.
http://tinyurl.com/5zbtcf

+ Blank robbers swipe 3,000 'fraud-proof' UK passports - The Register 29/7/08 +
A consignment of 3,000 "useless" blank biometric passports has been stolen on its way to British embassies throughout the world. Or at least, the Identity & Passport Service says they're useless. IPS' claim is based on the standard, highly optimistic party line that, as the passports contain a chip, they can't be used to produce fake passports.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/07/29/biometric_passp...eist/

+ Checks between North and rest of UK on way - Irish Times 28/7/08 +
People travelling between Northern Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom will be subjected to stiffer identity checks before the end of the year, British officials have told the Government.
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2008/0728/1....html

+ All air passengers to give their fingerprints … but is the reason security or simply to raise profits for the duty-free shops? - Daily Mail 27/7/08 +
Millions of passengers flying from British airports will be fingerprinted from next year under the latest controversial Government anti-terror plans. The measures, which will apply to both domestic and international passengers, are being introduced despite opposition from the Information Commissioner, Britain’s privacy watchdog.
http://tinyurl.com/56trzl

+ UK identity card shenanigans upheld - The Inquirer 25/7/08 +
An attempt to force the government to publish the feasibility studies for its infamous Identity Card Scheme has been swatted down by the High Court. The Court upheld government appeals against a decision by the Information Tribunal last year that the feasibility studies should be published.
http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2008/07/24/...igans

+ ID cards software 'to blame for passport service job cuts' - ComputerWorldUK 23/7/08 +
The union representing passport service workers has slammed the planned roll out of automated passport and ID cards processing as it has lead to job cut plans at the Identity and Passport Service agency.
http://tinyurl.com/66e6su

+ Details of Oyster card hack to be made public - The Times 21/7/08 +
Details of a computer hack which allowed researchers to clone identity cards that are used by million of people to access buildings and travel on public transport are to be published.
http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_w...7.ece

+ Unions line up against airline ID cards - The Register 21/7/08 +
Unions representing airline and airport staff are to tell Home Secretary Jacqui Smith that her plan to force staff to carry ID cards will add nothing to airport security.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/07/21/airport_id_cards/