Liverpool declares itself an ID-free zone
Labour members back non-cooperation vote
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Liverpool City Council passed a motion last night vowing not to co-operate with Home Office plans to extend its ID card trial to the city early next year.
Liverpool and Blackburn have been apparently been chosen for the next stage of the trial - the cards are currently being piloted in Manchester.
The Lib Dem council said it reiterated its opposition to the scheme. It will refuse to co-operate with promotion of the card using council resources or premises, unless forced to do so by law. Finally the council will work with organisations like NO2ID, which campaign against the card.
For its part, NO2ID congratulated the council, and particularly Labour members, for not being fooled by the Home Office.
Phil Booth, national coordinator for the lobby group, said: "Neither the people of Liverpool nor their elected representatives have been conned. We particularly congratulate Labour councillors for taking their constituents’ sides against the Home Office’s favourite surveillance scheme, even if a Labour Home Secretary complacently lets the bureaucrats steam on, spending uncounted millions in the biggest ID theft of all."
Liverpool Council noted that despite Labour minister claims, the cards will not prevent crime, terrorism or illegal immigration, but would instead change the relationship between citizen and state.
An outright refusal to allow council premises to be used to tout the ID card might have thrown up some possible roadblocks to the card in the city.
However, Liverpool's position, on the face of it, seems set to be as much of a threat to the gov's programme as Islington's self-designation as nuclear free zone was to the UK's nuke weapons policy in the 1980s.
The Home Office will give an update on its ID Card pilot next week. ®
COMMENTS
Better than a nuclear free zone
Islington's declaration as a nuclear free zone was pointless because no-one was planning to base IRBMs outside the Upper Street Fish Bar. The only things that might happen --- the roads carrying a convoy (unlikely) or the white train going through the local railway lines (possible) --- were outside the local council's ambit. Liverpool and ID cards is different, as refusing use of council channels of advertising and, say, declining to accept an ID card as a substitute for other ID when doing business with the council, will actually materially affect the programme.
nmhgfchg d
Liverpool has a lot to answer for, but they are vindicated in my eyes.
take this title and shove it.
Good on them, hopefully more councils will follow suite.
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