NO2ID

Pi MEDIA DEBATE

Pi Newspaper is hosting an exciting debate with two frontbench MPs on
Wednesday. Home Office Minister Meg Hillier will be putting forward the
Government's case for ID Cards while Shadow Immigration Minister Damian
Green will be explaining why the Conservatives find them 'intrusive'.
Audience participation will be welcome, and this is a great opportunity
to challenge senior representatives from both major parties on their
policies in the run-up to the General Election. The event is taking
place at 6pm, Gustav Tuck Lecture Theatre (at the back of the UCL Union
on Gordon Street).

(Reposted from id-groups. Presumably this is Wednesday 24th March.)

Do you know if this happened?

It's possible I'm looking in the wrong place, but the only things I can find about this one are your posting here and the item listed in the UCL events diary, and certainly no reports about it.

And neither Hillier nor Green seem to have updated the diary and/or events sections on their websites particularly recently so those aren't much help. Unless I'm supposed to be 'following' them on that twitty thing or checking their friendface pages or something?

Yes the debate took place. Hackney and Camden coordinators sat at the front.

Meg waved her id card and spoke a lot about popularity and convenience.
She argued that biometric id cards would be more 'secure' - without mentioning dependence on the integrity of the database and other agents like secure communications, and situation-cards being 100% 'secure'. She claimed that id cards were an example of balancing interests of security and the right to be protected, against civil liberties. She said the card is proving popular - there being 8000 id cards in circulation (she also mentioned a figure of 10,000) and at £30 each the cards will be handy as pass cards in age-related checks. Also it's OK if the id card - unlike your paper passport - goes through the washing machine.
She said the id card is the forerunner to an upgraded passport and that they are upgrading the database. Also that there are 3 databases - 1 of which uses linking software and that National Insurance numbers will be included. The cost of the biometric passport [scheme] is to be reaped from the fee we will pay for a new passport.

Damian Green came over as much the more plausible. One or two of the 40-odd students were scathing about Meg's lack of overall cost figure and the constant talk of 'convenience'. Pity there wasn't a vote at the end! Meg had (half jokingly?) invited anyone in the audience who would like to sign up there and then to see her after the debate - but she sped off so presumably nobody did.

Thanks for the report!

Much appreciated, thanks!

Sounds like she was just trotting out the standard lines - not really a surprise, but a little disappointing since it has a tendency to dull the prospect of meaningful debate.

Shame she disappeared so quickly - then again it might have been because the queue of people wanting to sign up was 'a bit short'. Not entirely surprised that Green came over well - he's quite good at doing the 'reasonableness' thing (assuming this was the case there), which always helps.