Islington says NO2ID
Today I was doing my morning delivery, when a man taking his child to nursery stopped to say hello. He’s someone who’s not a regular Lib Dem voter, certainly not a ‘woolly liberal’; but he told me he’s backing us because of our support for the NO2ID campaign.
His objections to the ID card scheme are very down to earth: he thinks it’s ridiculously expensive, he doesn’t trust the Government to make it work, he’d rather have the money spent on more police – plus he thinks it’s just not British.
Government ministers like to portray opposition to ID cards as coming from some oddball or elite minority, people who are anarchists or more concerned with abstract civil liberties than day to day crime. Not true in my experience. This was an ordinary Dad, who cares about his community, but thinks ID cards are simply not the answer. And he’s not alone. The phoning and surveys I’ve done on the issue finds Islington residents from all backgrounds are overwhelmingly opposed to the idea.
As I’ve reported before, Islington North’s Labour MP Jeremy Corbyn, has spoken out against compulsory ID cards, while Emily Thornberry, Labour MP for Islington South, is an ID card fan.
The NO2ID campaign is holding a ‘Mayoral hustings’ – a chance to question the candidates for Mayor of London – at Friends Meeting House opposite Euston Station on Tuesday 8th April at 7pm. All welcome; maybe I’ll see you there?
