the innocent have nothing to fear...

[perlmonger]

Home Office junior minister Andrew Burnham MP turned up in Bristol, at the Galleries this morning, as part of the stealth government biometric passport tour. "Stealth" because they don't announce their schedule and, indeed, refuse to release it if anyone has the temerity to enquire. NO2ID found out about it anyhow and let the non-innocent (like me) into the secret.

About a dozen of us turned up to present a viewpoint contrary to the database state, with two large banners that (with any luck) will show up on at least the local TV news tonight. More to the point, we failed to get the minister to answer any difficult questions (there's a surprise) and handed out leaflets to a largely receptive passing public - it was quite gratifying how many peoples' first reaction was to thrust yet-another-leaflet aside but who, on spotting the title, took it with genuine interest.

As to what happened to a selection of Bristol LibDem luminaries who promised to turn up and didn't, I know not. Eaten by proponents of Orange Book, perhaps.

Comments

[burkesworks.livejournal.com]

Brilliant work! It seems you got rather further than the No2ID people in Gateshead, though it figures that Bristol politics is not dominated by Blair placemen unlike the north-east.
And yes, I do have this fear at the back of my brain that the Orange Bookers might be a tad slack on civil liberties issues. I sincerely hope Hughes succeeds Charlie Chuck if and when he steps down.

[perlmonger.livejournal.com]

Given the nulabor input is likely a constant (or, if anything, getting worse as the propaganda show progresses), I'm more inclined to blame the relative aggression of security staff in the two malls and, underlying that, the attitudes and affiliations of whoever owns the places. Might be interesting to investigate.

As to the libdems; indeed. I've a horrible feeling though that they're going to get "modernised" with all that implies...