<p>Mr Burnham ‘returned the favour’ on the Monday of Labour party conference, making a surprise appearance – and getting a grilling at – NO2ID’s fringe meeting.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.no2id.net/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=2420">Accounts and links to recordings of the meeting</a>. </p>
<p>Campaigners wearing Matt Buck’s <em>ID tragedy</em> masks gathered in Brighton, calling on Labour MPs to <strong>Speak Up!</strong> before the Third Reading of the Identity Cards Bill, expected later this October. Thousands of NO2ID leaflets were distributed to conference delegates, many of whom expressed their support for the campaign.</p>
<p>Thanks to everyone who has organised or made it to one of these events. If you would like to make your own ID tragedy mask, printable artwork can be downloaded from our <a href="/downloads/index.php#speakUp">Resources and Fun section</a>. </p>
<h1 style="clear:both;">Home Office makes last ditch attempt to sell ID cards</h1>
<p> <img src="/images/cartoons/charm_lo.jpg" width="272" height="360" style="float:left;" alt="government launches charm offensive"/>Their benefits have been “oversold”, over half the country thinks they are a bad idea, and one in three people believe they will reduce their personal freedom.</p>
<p> Almost no-one wants to pay for ID cards - including Gordon Brown.</p>
<p> No wonder Home Office minister Andy Burnham has been forced to kick off the first leg of a seven date <em>ID road show</em> in Manchester today. The government spin machine is shifting into high gear as they prepare to push their increasingly unpopular and widely discredited ID scheme through Parliament again this Autumn.</p>
<p><?php
echo obscureemail('*****@*****.**', 'NO2ID would be very interested to hear from you if the road show turns up in your town');
?>
. If they are holding promotional events in secure locations with minimal pre-publicity, it seems like the Home Office may need a lesson in public relations.</p>
<p>In the usual spirit of debate and openness, the Home Office are not giving much notice of where the roadshows will take place. Events are scheduled for Dudley, Newcastle, Bristol and Southampton.
Please <?php
echo obscureemail('*****@*****.**', 'let us know');
?>
if you hear when and where (precisely) they will be.</p>
<h1 style="clear:both;">Clarke: "Big Brother society is already here"</h1>
<p style="clear:both;"> Charles Clarke has drawn howls of protest from his constituents after <a href="http://new.edp24.co.uk/content/news/story.aspx?brand=EDPOnline&category=News&tBrand=edponline&tCategory=news&itemid=NOED03%20Sep%202005%2010%3A09%3A19%3A520">stating in Norwich’s Eastern Daily Press</a> that "the Big Brother society is already here and my job is to control it."</p>
<p>Around 200 people signed letters protesting against the Home Secretary’s comments. [<a href="/news/alreadyHere.php" class="more">read more</a>]</p>
<h1 style="clear:both;">Government in disarray over ID cards, prepares for an onslaught of spin</h1>
<p> <img src="/images/cartoons/No2ID_Juneteaser.jpg" alt="Blair's fingerprint mission continues" width="200" height="182" style="float:right" />It's nice when you are proved right.</p>
NO2ID have been saying from the outset that the Government have been making outrageous and unjustified claims for their ID scheme. Last week the Minister for ID cards, Tony McNulty, agreed - confirming his earlier comments that the Government had “oversold” the benefits of ID cards. [<a href="/news/oversold.php" class="more">More</a>]
<h1 style="clear:both;">Straight Talking</h1>
<p> The bomb attacks on London on Thursday 7th July were a terrible shock to all, and NO2ID's sympathies go to the victims and their families and friends. The reaction has been common sense. Londoners carried on, and the reactions from political leaders were measured, resolute, and sane. Britain has not panicked. </p>
<p><a href="http://www.direct.gov.uk/Nl1/Newsroom/NewsroomArticles/fs/en?CONTENT_ID=10020708&chk=7OwLjI">Prime Minister Tony Blair</a>, when told the news in Gleneagles, said: </p>
<blockquote cite="http://www.direct.gov.uk/Nl1/Newsroom/NewsroomArticles/fs/en?CONTENT_ID=10020708&chk=7OwLjI">
<p> “It is important that those engaged in terrorism realise that our determination to defend our values and our way of life is greater than their determination to cause death and destruction to innocent people in a desire to impose extremism on the world. Whatever they do, it is our determination that they will never succeed in destroying what we hold dear in this country and in other civilised nations throughout the world.” </p>
<p>Ian Graham, who is based in Brussels, has agreed to co-ordinate this virtual expats group, and represent its
interests and concerns. He can be <?php
echo obscureemail("*****@*****.**", "reached on email");
?>
</p>
<p>Nothing prevents foreign nationals from supporting the campaign, and we welcome support from anyone, anywhere.
But we are specifically concerned with stopping the introduction of ID schemes in Britain and Ireland. Offers
of help from abroad should be sent to <?php
echo obscureemail("*****@*****.**", "the London Office");
?>
</p>
<p>If you subscribe to the mailing list, please add <?php
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?>
to your address book/allowed senders/'Mailing Lists' option(s) so our messages aren't unintentionally picked up by your spam-filters</p>
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