more … ]]> Just over a week ago, I took a break from our one week holiday and went to the ITV Millbank studios to record an episode of ‘The Last Word’ for ITV Meridian.  The whole thing was shot in half an hour – we discussed Damian Green, the economy and the Queen’s Speech – and the attached is the result!

more … ]]> Back in early 2004, getting infuriated at the Government’s ID cards project and because no campaign materials had then been produced by the federal party and NO2ID had yet to be formed (so they couldn’t help either), I decided to bang out a mock ID card to use for campaigning in North West Hampshire.

The ID cards project has now dragged on so long that, in total, I’ve produced versions with Charles Clarke, David Blunkett, Tony Blair and, most recently, Gordon Brown and Jacqui Smith. (I don’t know why I didn’t bother with John Reid).

For whatever reason, the party nationally decided they quite liked my card, and it still lives on, with a modified slogan, in the ID card campaign button

What people may not know, unless they’ve seen the original, is that because I was spoofing the look of an ID card, I decided to give it a watermark, as follows:

“I am a Liberal and I am against this sort of thing”
Harry Willcock, December 1950.

I can’t remember where I found the exact quote, but I was originally inspired to investigate Harry Willcock by a small panel on the wall of the National Liberal Club which is probably best quoted in full.

THE MAN VERSUS THE STATE

HARRY WILLCOCK, lifelong Liberal and a member of this Club, was, in 1951, the central figure in the historic “Identity Card” case. His refusal to produce his Identity Card to a police officer started a train of events that brought home to his fellow-citizens the curtailment their liberties. During the hearing of the case. the Lord Chief Justice and six other High Court Judges expressed strong disapproval of the continued use of Identity Cards under legislation intended only as a War-time emergency measure. Public opinion was aroused. Within a few months the Identity Card was abolished. On December 12, 1952, Harry Willcock died suddenly, while debating the case Liberalism against Socialism before the Eighty Club. The last word on his lips was “Freedom”.

As last words go, that’ll do!

Now, every time I see that campaign button, I think of the watermark, and I think of Harry Willcock.

If you would like an ID card of your own, you can download the latest version in PDF format here, sign the party’s online petition here and sign up to NO2ID here.

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Fascinating visit to the CCTV control centre today. Although, overall, Winchester has relatively low crime figures, that doesn’t make things any better for any individual who is the victim of crime, and CCTV is having a good effect in making the centre safer.

That said, the system is beginning to creak. There are too many trouble spots that are not covered by CCTV and, for technical reasons, it’s hard to extend it to cover areas outside the city centre. It’s been made clear to me during earlier visits around the city that there are still some areas which would benefit from CCTV that don’t have it.

It can also be difficult to link the system in with other CCTV systems, which could help make things safer for people late at night and make it easier for police to track criminals escaping from Winchester by car.

People have raised concerns about CCTV and civil liberties. As long as it is used, as it is currently, to spot crime, collect evidence of crime and direct the police ‘in hot pursuit’, I don’t think it poses much of a threat. Indeed, I would like to see Winchester’s CCTV system modernised.

That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t watch for (and oppose) some of the developments that are being put forward in other places. The Conservative Council in Ealing is planning to start using hidden cameras disguised as house bricks and tin cans, supposedly to watch for fly-tippers. The Labour Party is pushing for a national ID card and database which, if combined with face tracking technology (which, in turn, is being asked for by police chiefs), would enable CCTV cameras to track everyone as they went about their lawful business.

These new technologies, if unchecked, could mean that we end up with hidden cameras everywhere (rather than in areas at risk of crime as currently), tracking everyone simultaneously as they go about their business (which also can’t be done currently).

The critical thing is that we don’t lose sight of our objectives when using CCTV. If we’re using it to watch for and tackle crime – it’s fine. As soon as we go beyond that, it’s not.