Download this section in pdf format.
(Right-click and choose 'Save Target As' to save to disk)
Appeal From The Founder
Action #1: Spread The Word Through E-mail
Action #2: Make a Donation – Raise Some Money
Action #3: Buy Posters and Car Window Stickers etc.
Action #4: Discussions with Friends and Family
Action #5: Write to your Member of Parliament
Action #6: Write to the National Press
ACTION #7: Sign our on-line petition
Funding Statement
Where the Money Will be Spent
Banking Arrangements & Auditing
Appeal from the Founder
of CASNIC.
 |
"Thank you
for reading this far. If you feel strongly about the government’s
plans to introduce a compulsory National Identity Card, together
with the Citizen Monitoring Database with its file on each
one of us, please get actively involved in our fight. We
cannot do this alone – only mass protest will cause the
government to rethink this draconian measure. Maybe, like
me, you are ready to fight for something you believe in, before
all of our precious freedoms are eradicated? I certainly am
not the campaigning sort. Like you, I prefer just to get on
with my life. But this is such an assault on our privacy and
freedom I felt I had to do something, hence CASNIC.
I have donated
£5,000 of my own savings to start off the fighting fund. Please
do whatever you can so support our cause. Thank you."
Stuart Smith B.Sc.
Founder CASNIC
|
There are SEVEN things
you can do, in order of importance:
Action #1: Spread The Word Through E-mail
Surprisingly,
this is number one on the list of actions you can take. The more
people we can drive to the web site, the better – and the exponential
effects can be staggering! Electronic Mail is really the most fantastic
tool for getting change to occur quickly. Think how long this would
take by letter - and how expensive. But now you can help our campaign
for zero cost and just a little of your time.
But it needs careful
handling. We don’t want to be spamming the world!
Here, in 2 steps, is
what to do:
- Go
through your email address book and pick out just the names
of people you know such as friends, family and acquaintances.
We suggest you do not send emails to people you do not normally
correspond with.
- Send
them a simple, short, PERSONAL message (this is very important)
pointing them to the CASNIC web site www.casnic.org
Example
of Personal Message
The
more personal the message, the better. Tailor
it to the person concerned if at all possible.
Here are some example
messages, just so that you get the idea. But PLEASE compose your
own, otherwise we will have tens of thousands of identical emails
flying around and this will reduce impact.
Three Tips
- Keep
it SHORT.
- Keep
it PERSONAL.
- Tailor
it to the recipient.
Example
#1 (If you don’t know how they feel on this issue.):
"Hi Graham,
I heard recently that the government is intending to introduce a
compulsory National Identity Card and start a Citizen Database with
a file on us all. I don’t know about you, but I’m very unhappy about
that. There is a protest group called the Campaign to STOP the National
Identity Card and they have a web site www.CASNIC.org. It’s a great
site with some very convincing arguments. Take a look. Pass it on
to anyone else you think might be interested. Regards."
[Now obviously this
should be done in your usual style of writing to Graham!
You may write more like this: :-)]
Example
#2
"Wazzup my
man? Seen this ID card thing that plonker Blunkett wants to introduce?
Check out the protest group www.CASNIC.org – good site. Later dude."
Okay, you get the idea
– keep your normal ‘voice’ and tailor the ‘voice’ to the person
you are emailing. From here on in, the examples are all in ‘standard
voice’ but you must tailor them accordingly.
Example
#3 [If you know someone who is already anti Big Brother]
"Hi Carolyn,
You were right! Remember what you said about spy cameras/ID cards/Phone
tapping? I’m sure you’ve seen that the government are intending
to introduce a compulsory National Identity Card and start a Citizen
Database with a file on us all. I’m with you on this one. There
is a protest group called the Campaign to STOP the National Identity
Card and they have a web site www.CASNIC.org. It’s a great site
with some very convincing arguments. Take a look. Regards."
Example
#4 [If you know someone who is pro ID Cards]
"Hi David,
I know you’ve often said that ID cards would reduce terrorism and
crime and you have a good point that these things need tackling.
But having carefully read some convincing arguments against the
ID card (on www.casnic.org) I’m wondering if this is more of a solution
looking for a problem? Quite honestly, I’m also pretty worried about
the civil liberties angle here and I hadn’t fully appreciated what
they were proposing. I know you to be a fair minded sort of guy,
so have a look and see what you think. Certainly I don’t think such
a draconian measure should be passed through ‘on the nod’. Best
Regards to Cathy."
Hopefully that will
give you some ideas of what to write.
If you could send 10
– 50 such emails, that would be absolutely fantastic.
Email
Signature
Whilst on the
subject of email, it would be really helpful to our cause if you
changed your email signature message to show support for CASNIC.
The signature message is something which goes out with every email
you ever send. It appears at the bottom, usually just before or
after your name. You have probably seen them on incoming emails
– people sometimes put a funny ‘tag line’ or favourite quote. You
will have to work out how to do this for whatever email program
you use.
So, if you want to support
us, why not change your signature bar to one of the following?:
I
am not a number, I am a free man (or
woman as appropriate to you). Support the Campaign to STOP the
National Identity Card. www.casnic.org
Down With Big
Brother! Support
the Campaign to STOP the National Identity Card. www.casnic.org
I do not want
to be a numbered citizen on a government file. Support
the Campaign to STOP the National Identity Card. www.casnic.org
Big Brother
wants to control YOU. Support
the Campaign to STOP the National Identity Card. www.casnic.org
Does the government
REALLY have your best interests at heart? Support
the Campaign to STOP the National Identity Card. www.casnic.org
Action #2: Make a Donation
Yes, no surprises
here – we need MONEY.
If we are to fight this
properly, we need media exposure – we plan a sustained campaign
of national newspaper advertising and direct mail to gain support
for the cause, and this will be very expensive.
Click
here to see Funding Statement and Where the Money Will be Spent.
Click
here to download a donation form in pdf format.
(Right-click
and choose 'Save Target As' to save to disk)
Paying
By Cheque
Please write your
name and address on a piece of paper (assuming you want an acknowledgement
– anonymous donations are welcome) and enclose it with your cheque
made out to CASNIC.
Please send to:
CASNIC
12 Tilbury Close
Caversham
Reading
Berks
RG4 5JF
Paying by
Credit Card
Please write your
name and address on a piece of paper (assuming you want an acknowledgement
– anonymous donations are welcome) and enclose it with your credit
card number, expiry date, (and issue number for SWITCH) plus the
amount you want to donate.
Please send to:
CASNIC
12 Tilbury Close
Caversham
Reading
Berks
RG4 5JF
(Note: Credit card statement
will show Field Management Services – which is the fulfilment company
we have retained to handle this for us.)
Coming
Soon - Paying by PAYPAL
You can
pay on line if you have a PAYPAL account.
To setup a PAYPAY account, click here
.
Click
here to download a donation form in pdf format.
(Right-click
and choose 'Save Target As' to save to disk)
Fund
Raising
Fund raising is
a whole complex issue in itself, with certain legal problems associated
with it. For the time being, all fund raising will be done centrally
and so please do not start any fund-raising initiatives under the
CASNIC banner at present. By all means ask friends and family to
send us a donation though.
Action #3 Buy Posters and Car Window
Stickers etc.
Again you will
notice that the important action you can take comes under the heading
of ‘spreading the word’.
We are working on a
range of large and small posters, leaflets and car stickers.
As soon as these are
available, here’s what you can do:
- Buy
a selection of car stickers – stick one in your car rear window
and then try to persuade others to do the same (give them the
car sticker).
- Buy
a selection of posters. Make sure you put them up in your
local area (front window etc.) and hand them out to friends and
family.
- Buy
some leaflets and hand them out to friends and family. Also
consider buying (say) 200 leaflets and walking around your local
area delivering them through letter boxes. This would be VERY
useful to us.
Click
here to order campaigning support materials.
(Right-click
and choose 'Save Target As' to save to disk)
Action #4 Discussions with Friends
and Family
Obviously you
don’t want to become an ‘ID Card Bore’ and have people roll their
eyes when you walk into the room! However, if you can take every
reasonable opportunity to argue our case, that would be very helpful.
In particular, direct people to the web site www.casnic.org
How
to Debate With People For Maximum Effect
This is fairly
low down on the list because it is not very efficient one-to-one
to try to convince someone else of your views. Also, in general,
people are very poor at thinking through their positions and holding
logically consistent views. In particular they are notoriously loathe
to think from principle. They see this as ‘unbending’ or ‘extreme’.
This comes from living in a pragmatic age where principles are routinely
thrown out for mood-of-the-moment expediency.
Bottom line? You’ll
have your work cut out – but it can be fun.
The
Players
Unlike more emotional
subjects such as fox-hunting, vivisection, and abortion, it is unlikely
that you will come across any vehemently pro-ID card arguments.
Most people have not even considered the issue. If they have thought
about it at all, they probably have some vague notion that ID cards
will ‘somehow’ stop terrorism and crime (in some undefined way)
and they might have assimilated, and regurgitate a few ‘sound bites’
such as "If you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear."
Or "If it saves just ONE kiddy’s life, it’s worth it."
Thus you are in competition
with apathy and ignorance, rather than passion and certainty. You
may also come across the rare person who holds very extreme (in
our view) ideas along these lines:
"I would have a
chip in everyone’s head controlling their thoughts, if that’s what
it took to stop crime." The more you press this person, the
deeper they will dig-in, advocating life imprisonment for a first
offence ("They shouldn’t have done the crime if they didn’t
want to go to prison.") and the death penalty for many crimes.
They do not think that the current two million spy cameras are anything
like enough and would strongly advocate a spy camera in each of
our homes, together with a microphone. They would state that only
criminals could possibly protest such a move. When you explain that
the price of low crime is totalitarian dictatorship, they will agree
– they just want that dictatorship as soon as possible. Thankfully
these people are rare as it is hard to get them to take a more reasonable
stance.
In general most
people won’t have thought about it, some will be strongly
anti- Big Brother and a few will be mildly pro-Big Brother.
Our best guess is:
80% No real opinion
either way, can be swayed depending on the current argument.
18% Anti
2% Pro
This is good news for
us as the vast majority of people are open to hearing our arguments
and being converted to our point of view. (Contrast with contentious
issues such as abortion where most people have firmly held views,
issuing from deep moral convictions one way or the other. It is
almost impossible to turn a pro-abortion advocate into an anti-abortion
advocate, and vice-versa. Not so with our campaign, thankfully.)
How
to ‘Win’ an Argument
The objective
(in any argument, really) is to try to get the other person to consider
your viewpoint, and hopefully change their own viewpoint as a
result of their discussions with you. The objective is not
to ‘win’ the argument and be ‘right’. When you set out to do
this, people become alienated and even more firmly wedded to their
viewpoint.
Click here to download the
examples below in pdf format.
(Right-click
and choose 'Save Target As' to save to disk)
Here are a few tips for achieving
the desired effect (this also works well for relationship problems at no extra
charge! If you master this one, you’ve mastered a BIG life-skill!).
Tip #1: Stay Calm
No matter how impassioned you feel
about an issue, it is always alienating to be screamed at, lectured to or spoken
to like an idiot. How do YOU feel when someone does this to you? It makes the
other person go into ‘protective’ mode right at the point when you want them
to listen compassionately to your viewpoint. So, no screaming, wagging fingers,
thumping tables or condescension!
Tip #2: No Judgemental
Language
Do you want a sure-fire way of making
someone switch off to your viewpoint and become hostile and defensive? Use
judgemental language and negative labels – or use a tone of voice which
implies these things.
"Only a fool would believe…"
"What kind of moronic
statement is that?"
"That’s just ridiculous
and unreasonable."
"Come off it! You cannot
be serious, surely?"
"Listen, I’m going to
explain this just once more, and s-l-o-w-l-y, ok?"
"That’s the sort of stupid
thing I have come to expect from you."
"Sigh…
I’m wasting my time here. I thought you had a bit more intelligence."
Tip #3: Listen to the Other
Person
"I don’t learn anything when
I’m talking," is a very true saying.
What do you most want from your
encounter? You want the other person to listen to you considerately, hear your
viewpoint, think about it intelligently, then hopefully (and it is a BIG hope)
come on to your side, right?
So guess what? The best way to get
this is to give the other person the same respect – but this is so difficult
to do when one of your deeply held beliefs is being challenged.
If they challenge your views, ask
yourself a really vital question: "What are they needing right now?"
This will allow you to connect to the person BEFORE you start giving
intellectual water-tight arguments.
Hint: 90%+ of people who
take a pro-ID Card stance are acting out of fear. So their need is security
and safety. They view the world as a dangerous place with criminals and
terrorists lurking in every corner. They are frightened and want protection
– just like we all want protection. They see the ID card (and many other draconian
security measures) as providing them with more safety. Their un-stated motto
might be:
"Safety
and protection at ANY price."
Tip #4: Address Their Needs
and Concerns FIRST
So before you launch in to the arguments,
try to connect with and acknowledge the person’s need FIRST.
Example
of Bad Argument
John and Mary are discussing ID
Cards. John is mildly in favour.
This sort of response will get Mary
nowhere:
John: "I disagree. I
think ID cards are great. They will stop these terrorists from attacking us.
That’s GOT to be a good thing, surely?"
Mary: "Don’t be stupid!
It has been scientifically proven that 89.37% of terrorists do not even have
ID on them when committing their acts…blah, blah, blah."
Now compare with this:
Example
of Good Argument
John: "I disagree. I
think ID cards are great. They will stop these terrorists from attacking us.
That’s GOT to be a good thing, surely?"
(Mary first hears John’s need
before doing anything else.)
Mary: "So you’re worried
about the increase in terrorist attacks recently and you want people to be safe?"
(Acknowledging his need for safety.)
John: "Well yeah! Aren’t
you? I mean it’s getting ridiculous. There was that Istanbul bomb, and the World
Trade Centre and Jakarta – I mean, who’s safe these days?"
Mary: "You’re worried
that terrorists might come into this country and plan attacks and that makes
you fearful?"
John: "Well it’s certainly
possible, isn’t it? And ID cards would let us know who these people were…"
[OK, John feels listened-to now,
and Mary can progress.]
Mary: "Yeah, I want
us all to be safe too, and if I thought ID cards would have any significant
impact on terrorism, maybe I would support them like you, but you know there
is good reason to suppose that not only will they not stop terrorism, they could
even aid terrorism…"
John: "Huh? How come?"
Now Mary is free to explain this
strand of the argument to John.
What a difference that way of talking
makes! However, be warned, it is not so easy in the heat of an argument!
[Acknowledgement. We
are indebted to Marshall Rosenberg for developing his concept of
NVC Non-Violent Communication, on which the section above is based.
Non
Violent Communication – A Language of Compassion. ISBN 1-892005-02-6]
TIP #5 Change May Not Come
Immediately
Just because you have talked for
an hour and that pig-headed fool (to use judgemental language!) still has not
changed his mind – does not mean that you have lost. Often people feel the need
to stick to their position, even when they know they are defending the indefensible.
It’s a kind of macho-thing with men, at least. Maybe later, or next day or next
week something you have said will suddenly have an effect and they will come
to you and say: "I’ve been thinking about what we discussed last week,
and you know, I think you’ve got a point…"
Action #5 Write to Your Member of
Parliament
The more we can inundate our MPs
with anti-ID card letters, the better. Just write a simple letter (one side
only) with your name and address clearly on the top and a simple statement of
your view. No need to waffle-on for pages and pages (it almost certainly will
not be read) and no need to introduce all the arguments against ID Cards.
Sample
Letter
Mrs G Kent
10 Ruby Street
Colchester
Essex
AA1
234
5th January 2004
Dear Mr Johnson,
You are my MP for the district
of Sedgwick East.
I am writing to express my extreme
concern about the government’s intention to introduce a National Identity Card
into the UK.
Whilst we obviously need to take
reasonable steps to protect against terrorism and crime, I do not believe that
this draconian measure will have much effect on either. The creation of a government
database with a ‘file’ on each citizen, is surely more the province of totalitarian
regimes than freedom-loving democracies? I am also not reassured by the stealthy
way this is being introduced with passports and driving licences as a first
step and compulsion following some time after.
This is a huge step towards a Big
Brother police state and I urge you to oppose it on my behalf.
Yours Sincerely
A Wilkinson
Please do not copy that letter exactly
as all MPs will end up with the same letter. It is included here just as an
indication of style and length.
Action #6 Write to the National Press
If we inundate the National Press
with anti-ID Card letters, they will print a few and might even do a feature
on the subject. Since they want to sell papers, they will be keen to reflect
the majority of reader’s views.
Writing a ‘Letter To The Editor’
could be the subject of an entire book – it is quite an art to get
your letter published. Here are a few tips to be going on with:
Click here to download
the examples below in pdf format
(Right-click
and choose 'Save Target As' to save to disk)
TIP #1: Keep it short and
to the point.
Avoid waffling at all costs!
This is the single biggest mistake
people make when writing to their newspaper (or MP). They waffle-on for page
after page of green biro on lined notepaper – the subject sprawls to cover ‘everything
which is wrong with the world’.
Here is a humorous (but not SO far
from the truth) example:
Dear Sir
I wish to complain in the strongest
possible terms about the introduction of Identity Cards into the UK. Surely
we didn’t fight two world wars to have this happen to us? It’s the same with
graffiti and vandalism – what the hell is happening to this country? Immigration
is another case in point – and the trains don’t run on time any more, which
they always used to (although the food is, admittedly a lot better, fair play
to them). It’s time someone cleaned up this sewer – for such, I’m afraid, Britain
has become.
PS I waited TWO HOURS for a bus
yesterday – that’s how bad things have got.
TIP #2: Read TIP #1 again!
Shorter letters have a VERY much
higher chance of getting printed than longer ones because:
- The editor can find a space to
squeeze it in to.
- They want as many letters as
possible.
- Shorter letters are read 10x
more often than long ones.
TIP #3: Make the journalists’
life easy.
Don’t make them have to work hard
to edit your letter down to something they can use. Give them a polished piece
of work which they can use with few, if any, changes.
TIP #4: Stick to just one
point only.
There are ten or more good arguments
against ID cards. You must pick just one, and no more, to make your point. You
are not trying to write an essay which covers all the bases. Just one, short,
sharp punch is what you are after.
TIP #5: Keep it topical
if possible.
Something is always hot, right now.
Next week it will be gone. Always try to link your ID card tirade with some
current hot news item (see examples below).
TIP #6: Don’t Rave!
It makes you seem unbalanced and
the reader will discount your view.
Sir,
I am incensed and furious at this
idiot Blunkett and his asinine proposals on ID cards. Surely this man should
be locked away as he must be insane? And that spineless poodle Blair can join
him. We should all join together and overthrow this sordid government by violence
and revolution if necessary.
Yours
TIP #6: Always give your
name and address.
Papers simply will not publish your
letter if you send it anonymously. You can ask for it to be withheld if you
want, but you must supply it.
TIP #7: Bring in personal
experience if relevant.
If you are an ex-prison warden,
air force pilot, policeman, security official etc. it is powerful to bring relevant
experience to your letter as it adds credibility.
Dear Sir
As a security officer for a major
High Street retailer….
As an ex-policeman, I want to assure
you that we rarely had trouble identifying criminals, just catching them. This
makes nonsense of David Blunkett’s….
When I was in charge of Card Fraud
for a major Credit Card Company…
I work in the Social Security office
and I can assure you we get very little identity fraud. Most fraud is people
under-stating their circumstances. Why, then is the government proposing….
As a teacher I am appalled at the
prospect of fingerprinting our young people in preparation for a National Identity
Card. What sort of world do we want these children to inherit?
Here
are some example letters to the editor:
Sir,
I see that the Westminster Bomber
is none other than a home-grown boy from Essex who attended Eaton (Guardian
Sat 9th January 2005). Can someone explain to me how a compulsory
National Identity Card would have prevented that act of terrorism?
Yours
Sir,
I was interested to read that Social
Security Identity fraud is the smallest section of benefit fraud (the largest
by far being under-statement of means) and totals a meagre 0.1% of the Social
Security budget. (The Times, Feb 19th 2005) Can someone please explain
to me why we are contemplating spending £3 BILLION pounds to issue ID cards
to all citizens and create a massive government citizen database?
Yours
[The figures in the above letter
were invented, so please do not quote them in your own letters.]
Sir
I was intrigued, but sadly not surprised
at your lead article on corruption and fraud at the Passport Office (Independent,
July 2005). Doubtless we can look forward to a similar level of incompetence
when they issue everyone with a National Identity Card. I have heard estimates
that the going rate for fake ID will be around £500 a time. As ever, terrorists
and criminals will laugh at the law and ordinary law-abiding citizens will have
yet more of their freedom and privacy curtailed. I have yet to hear a satisfactory
explanation from the government about exactly how a compulsory National Identity
Card, with its associated Citizen Monitoring Database will have a significant
impact on crime or terrorism. Presumably, rapists, muggers, murderers and thieves
will join all terrorists in leaving these shores forthwith because the little
bit of plastic which they all dutifully carry will make their evil work impossible.
Or did I miss something?
Yours
Sir,
I see there are calls to fingerprint
every person in the United Kingdom as part of the government’s ID Card fiasco.
I always thought that fingerprints were for suspected criminals – or are we
all now suspects, guilty until proven innocent? Who, exactly, gave this government
permission to start a file on each one of us and issue us with a ‘Permission
To Live’ – for such will the Identity Card swiftly become.
Yours
ACTION #7 Sign our on-line petition
Click here to sign our on-line petition
Please Support
Us In Any Way You Can
Thank You
Funding Statement
CASNIC is funded entirely
by individual donations from concerned citizens. Typical donations are between
£10 and £100. The founder, Stuart Smith, has donated £5,000 of his own private
money to the campaign, and, needless to say, takes no salary, remuneration or
benefits of any kind from the organisation. We accept no contributions from
political parties, companies, churches or any other groups with or without a
vested interest in our campaign. We welcome donations from private individuals
and all money is used directly in our campaign (we are staffed by volunteers
and pay no salaries or administration fees etc.)
Where the Money Will be Spent
Administration
Costs –
Zero. We pay no salaries and have no paid staff.
Overhead – Zero.
We operate from a private house and the owner does not want recompense for any
extra outgoings.
Expenses. The only
expenses we propose to pay are travel costs for a speaker to appear on National
TV, or radio – assuming the station concerned will not cover this (which they
usually do).
Printing. Leaflets,
posters, handbills, letter headings, booklets, action packs, car stickers etc.
We hope to make a small ‘at cost’ charge for some of these items and hence recoup
some of our costs.
Design. We employ
a graphic design company to design our logos, letter headings, car stickers,
advertisements, leaflets, booklets etc.
Postage. Posting out
leaflets, car stickers, booklets etc. We hope to make a small ‘at cost’
charge for some of these items and hence recoup some of our costs.
National Press Advertising.
We intend to start a national advertising campaign in the main newspapers (Times,
Telegraph, Guardian, Independent, Sun, Mirror, Mail etc.]
Click here to see an example of the sort of thing we are planning
Direct Mail. We
have access to a mailing list of people who are sympathetic to our cause. We
will be mailing them to gain support. Hopefully we will also secure some donations
which may make this a self-paying exercise.
Press Cutting Service.
We wish to engage the services of a press-cutting bureau to send us all items
which appear in the press relating to Identity Cards.
Mailing House Services.
We retain an external mailing house to stuff envelopes, answer queries, handle
donations etc. They charge on a ‘per item’ basis.
Researcher. This
is lower priority, but if funds permit we want to retain a freelance researcher
to gather supporting information to our cause (e.g. which other countries have
ID cards, how they work, how they are accepted by the population etc.)
INITIAL
FUND RAISING TARGET £50,000.00
Banking Arrangements & Auditing
Bankers are:
Lloyds Bank
1 Market Place
Reading
RG1 2EQ
Two signatures are required for
each cheque (one signatory is a Chartered Accountant).
Fully detailed accounts will be
posted on the web site every six months.
Accounts will be audited annually
by chartered accountants and published on web site.
Accounts, when completed, will be
fully open to inspection to any member of the public during office hours.
CASNIC is a not-for-profit organisation.
Sample Press Advert Concept
"It Will Cost £3 Billion and
Will Take 4 Solid Years of Intense Effort by Thousands of Skilled People."
Housing the Homeless?
Improving Our Hospitals?
Sorting Out The Railways?
NO
Introducing Compulsory Identity Cards
Register Your Protest
Campaign to STOP the National Identity Card
www.casnic.org
|
|