NO2ID

Marked for life? How ID cards will change society

A panel discussion chaired by Neil Gerrard MP, featuring speakers from across the Labour Movement.

Brighthelm Auditorium,
North Road, Brighton BN1 1YD

Monday 26th September 2005, 7:00 - 8:30pm

Tony Blair says that identity cards and a national database are "an idea whose time has come". Is he right? What does this mean for ordinary people?

[Full list of speakers TBA]

excellent.

Definately a good thing that this is being discussed.

Currently scheduled speakers:

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Rt Hon. Clare Short MP

Neal Lawson, chair of the labour movenment policy group, Compass

Barry Camfield, deputy chair of the TGWU

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More are likely. We'd like people's support and help in Brighton, but this is specifically pitched as the Labour movement talking to itself about the disaster ID will constitute for its traditional constituencies, and the contradiction it poses to egalitarian values. Who we want sitting in the hall are 200 Labour Party Conference delegates.... So if you can help leafletting, or front-of-house on the Sunday or Moday, get in touch.

How did this event go? Was anyone able to go and gauge opinions?

It was more thinly attended than we'd hoped, but definitely a success of sorts.

Andy Burnham MP put in an appearance, and was involved in a lengthy question and answer session. He gets full marks for bravery, though his arguments are still rather weak for an informed audience. (One wonders whether the Home Office briefings he receives are adequate. Are junior ministers being treated like pawns in true Sir Humphrey style?)

It is good to know that the Governement is finally beginning to acknowledge that there is opposition and it must be faced. A clear sign we are gaining ground, I'd suggest.

Barry Camfield withdrew at the last moment and was replaced by Rahul Patel of UNISON, and Phil Booth took to the platform on behalf of NO2ID, otherwise speakers were as advertised. I'm not sure anyone very adequately addressed the "How ID cards will change society" or "What will it mean for ordinary people?" elements of the meeting rubric.

Proceedings were recorded, and selected highlights may be available on the website in due course.

Did you send him my regards?

I suspect from his attempts to avoid the question in Bristol that he's been given 2+ 'party-line' speeches to memorise for each of the more obvious aspects of the Bill.



All Government acknowledgements of problems with the scheme are given grudgingly ie. we may be on the verge of massive media interest.



Excellent! Nice work!

Here are recordings of the whole 1h 28' of the meeting, in 5 segments (3 main speakers, Q&A including contributions from Andy Burnham, closing statements from the speakers and Phil Booth). The wandering mike didn't always reach the questioners, but we do have everything said by Neil Gerrard, Claire Short, Neal Lawson, Rahul Patel, Andy Burnham and Phil Booth. 32Kb/s MP3 files, but the server only delivers 256Kb/s, so please be patient:

http://www.haisley.com/no2id/01-Gerrard-Short.mp3
http://www.haisley.com/no2id/02-Lawson.mp3
http://www.haisley.com/no2id/03-Patel.mp3
http://www.haisley.com/no2id/04-QA-with-Burnham.mp3
http://www.haisley.com/no2id/05-Closing ... -Booth.mp3

Thanks to Andrew Haisley for temporarily hosting these recordings until we find a long-term home for them. If these links don't work, the files may already have been moved to the main NO2ID site.