The Swindon page 2006 - news archive

I was sorry to read (SA, December 22) that some, presumably Christian, parents are asking to withdraw their children from lessons that would teach the basic tenets of Islam. The apprehension and suspicion that exist between some members of both faiths can only be allayed by obtaining a knowledge of the beliefs of those seen to be the enemy.

SO, George Bush says he's prepared to offer dialogue with Syria and even Iran (his so-called axis of evil, until he needs them) in an attempt to find a solution to the catastrophe that was once Iraq.

The airbase was subjected to several demonstrations by anti-war protesters after it was used to launch B-52 bombers during the conflict. Figures show that between 2002 and 2004, the police operation cost £7.79m. Anti-war protesters won a legal battle on Wednesday to prove their rights to protest were violated when police detained a group of 120 campaigners in their coaches in March 2003.

Given that the new biometric passport has been cracked and data sucked' from it, will both Mr Wills and Mrs Snelgrove tell us at what point during the compulsory purchase of our identity will they cease their support of this dangerous law?

ANDY Newman is quite right to draw our attention to the amount of money which is spent on the cost of conflicts in the Middle East and how much better use that money would be put to (SA, December 5). We have outstayed our welcome in Iraq and should never have been in Afghanistan in the first place. It is now time to bring the troops home. I cannot, however, agree with him over the proposed upgrading of our nuclear weapons.

The Law Lords today upheld a claim by peace campaigners that their rights to ''freedom of movement and lawful assembly'' were violated when police prevented them from attending an anti-Iraq war demonstration at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire in 2003.

I am not surprised to learn that ID cards have become law, the only surprise there is that it took so long as March to enforce them. No doubt we will soon be getting our application forms in the post. ID cards are but the tip of the iceberg concerning the EU's plans for Britain, which will eventually result, as I am sure Mr Reid will confirm, in a police state where you will be guilty until you can prove you're innocent.

A YOUGOV survey published today shows that millions of people could resist the imposition of government ID cards. Twelve per cent of those questioned said they would refuse to get an ID card, even if it meant paying a fine or serving a prison sentence. That corresponds to about five million adults across the whole of the UK.

Starting next year first time passport applicants will be forced onto the Identity Register, despite Anne Snelgrove's assertion that the Identity Register is voluntary. It will not be, if you want a passport you will be entered on the central register. NO2ID is pledged to resist the National Identity Register and it's attendant ID card.

THE news that Tony Blair is proposing to replace the Trident nuclear weapons system with an even more deadly and expensive system is really alarming.
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It will only encourage states like North Korea and Iran to continue with their nuclear programmes making the world and ourselves less safe.

The smash hit film Borat is based on the joke that Kazakhstan is an incredibly backward country. But in fact Kazakhstan is one of the few countries in the world to have given up its nuclear weapons, having inherited them from the old Soviet Union.

A brief report of the Anti-war demo at Brize Norton on Saturday 2nd December 2006, accompanied by some photos. Some people had travelled from as far as Plymouth and Nottingham to be here, showing the strength of purpose of ordinary folk. This demo was peaceful, and had an air of sadness about it, especially as we laid flowers at the gate of the Brize Norton base, and heard the names of our brave young heroes who had fallen in Iraq. And we heard the names of a tiny fraction of the countless innocent dead, the citizens of Iraq.

Swindon Stop the War Coalition member Brian Shakespeare read out the names of some of the fallen British soldiers. Mr Shakespeare, of Gorse Hill, said: "The objective was to make a symbolic gesture to the people who died in order that they are not forgotten. "I asked the march to consider the thousands of young children covered in blood and terrified. It's a telling image for me while our elected representatives stand by and remain silent."

Oxfordshire became the focus of the anti-Iraq war movement as hundreds of protesters gathered in the county. Campaigners from across the country met outside RAF Brize Norton on Saturday - labelling the base a symbol of Britain's involvement in the Iraq war. With dozens of banners, flags and drums, protesters marched to the base's main entrance where they laid flowers, and speakers read out the names of British soldiers and Iraqi civilians killed in the war.

Overall it was an excellent demo, and did receive press coverage, including the news on Classic FM, an Arabic language Iranian TV channel, and the mass circulation Sunday People. The turn out was just enough, but is revealing of the current state of organisation of the anti-war movement. I carefully say a problem of“organisation” rather than politics - because while there does need to be a strategic debate about the direction of the anti-war movement, in my opinion the real weaknesses are to do with lack of grass roots confidence and in some areas the peace movement is insufficiently inclusive

On Sat 2nd December I was invited to address a Stop the War protest outside RAF Brize Norton. The base is the main supply station for the British forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. This is the speech I delivered on behalf of the Scottish Socialist Party.

Demonstrators will gather at the village of Carterton, near RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, then march past the base, where they will lay flowers for all who have died, of any nationality, in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Photos, audio and a 15-minute film of Saturday's protest at RAF Brize Norton.

An MEP has joined protesters on a rally at a military base calling for British troops to be brought home from Iraq. Dr Caroline Lucas, Green Party MEP for South East England, joined peace campaigners on the march from Caterton, Oxford, to RAF Brize Norton.

VIRTUALLY identical letters (SA, November 8 and 9) serve to reinforce concerns that we are sleepwalking into a surveillance society. It is true that the level of intrusion is increasing and the quality of our privacy is decreasing. There are now 4.2 million CCTV cameras in Britain - one for every 14 people in the UK.

Tony Blair started the war in Iraq without public support. Before the country goes to war again the British people should first decide by means of referendum.

Union leaders are in discussions this week, following the announcement of plans to leave just a handful of staff working for Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs Swindon office by 2010. The Public and Commercial Services union has vowed the fight the closure of the Farnsby Street office that employs 210 workers on its payroll.

Writing to your MP may not result in an accurate, detailed and lucid explanation of their support for the National Identity Register and Identity Cards Act 2006, but at least they will have received your concerns in writing, and you will receive "something" back from them. The Talkswindon forum has published all correspondence its members have received from Anne Snelgrove and Michael Wills on the subject. To date, neither MP has answered any question put to them regarding the issue.

The House Of Commons Science And Technology Committee reported on the Governments Identity Card Scheme earlier this year.

The report paints a very different picture than the one being presented by Prime Minister Blair.

George Lewis is a lovely Gentleman, (with a capital G), who, has sworn, (despite his advancing years), to go to prison rather than submit to the State Ownership of his identity. At Georges request his recent letter to the Daily Telegraph is published here on Talkswindon.

RAF Brize Norton is the most important British military base for maintaining the occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan. It is the main transport base for sending troops and supplies in and out of the occupied countries. When George Bush visits Britain he flies in here. It has been used to forcibly expel asylum-seekers back to Iraq. The CIA has used it as a staging post to fly people to secret destinations to be tortured. In August this year it was used by US planes taking munitions to the Israeli Defence Force to bomb Lebanon.

A list of the 51 "registerable facts" which will be recorded about everyone on the National Identity Register.

ARE you waking up to the surveillance society? Recent media coverage reveals just the tip of the iceberg; the database state that threatens us all. Plans just revealed include intimate questions on your personal life in the next census. Fail to answer and you'll be fined £1,000.

THE leader of a Swindon mosque has rubbished suggestions that a Muslim cleric linked to a suspected terrorist group was teaching children in the town. The claim has arisen following news that a Muslim Metropolitan Police officer is taking legal action against the force after he was removed from an elite protection squad.

PEACE campaigners in Swindon will reach out to the Christian communities with a public meeting next week. Justin Alexander of the Christian peace team will speak at the Moravian Church in Dixon Street on Tuesday.

This will come as no surprise at all to those people that have remained interested in the National Identity Register, Identity Cards and the Governments plans for 'greater sharing of information..... ....and that would be YOUR information, not theirs.....they've immunised themselves from inclusion, citing grounds of 'personal security'.

Every invader of Iraq and Afghanistan has been given a bloody nose. A quotation by ex-foreign secretary John Reid that "British troops could leave Afghanistan in three years without firing a shot" will follow him to the grave.

The government has spent £7.5 million on destroying weapons. In isolation, that sounds pretty good, but take a look at Escaping the Subsidy Trap: Why Arms Exports are bad for Britain, a report by the Oxford Research Group, the British American Security Information Council and Saferworld estimating the amount by which the taxpayer subsidises the arms export industry.

Once again we need your help tracking down the ID interrogation centres due to open at 69 locations around the UK[1] next year. The contract to supply the offices was won by Mapeley[2]. The exact locations of the centres has not been revealed but they can be ascertained via planning applications and then our local groups can lodge objections to the applications. Last weekend in a heroic tight-deadline effort, NO2ID Cambridge managed to reach two local residents and get them to put in written objections before Monday's deadline in Ipswich. As we find more planning applications - or as Mapeley submits them - theses initial deadlines are likely to come thick and fast. There is thread on the NO2ID forums[3] where people are currently posting interrogation centre planning applications as they discover them (this information will shortly be moved to a page of its own on the main website). Please look out for local council planning application notices. If you have any information then please post it to our forum or contact us at (office@no2id.net). We would also like advice from anyone with any planning expertise and able to give us some hints on how to draft good objections to the applications.

The petition, signed by the families of the victims, serving and retired RAF personnel and MoD employees, calls on the Government to install fire-suppressant foam in all of the RAF's fleet of Hercules transport planes based at RAF Lyneham. The families believe that had the foam been installed in the aircraft the crew might have had a better chance of surviving being shot at by Iraqi insurgents.

Labour increased resources for our troops. Tell that to the families of the Hercules aircrew killed because the plane had not been treated with the foam to make it safe from explosion. Tell it to the families of those murdered because they did not have enough ammunition to defend themselves and their radios were useless when trying to call for assistance.

Has anybody else noticed that the following didn't create banner headlines across all our nudespapers? The 22 chemical components recovered by police are believed to be the largest haul ever found at a house in this country. ... a search ... had uncovered rocket launchers, chemicals, ... and a nuclear biological suit.

In view that the Home Office has now confirmed costs for the National ID card scheme will be £5.4 billion, can you confirm if you support this scheme? It has also been widely reported that the figure could be closer to £20 billion, therefore could you also confirm at what cost would you personally no longer support the scheme?

TWO peace activists broke into an RAF base in a bid to stop B-52 bombers being used to commit war crimes in Iraq, a court heard. Toby Olditch, 38, and Philip Pritchard, 36, used bolt cutters to slice through the perimeter fence at RAF Fairford, Gloucestershire, intending to sabotage the long-range planes and the runway, the jury heard.

From Ravy Davy's speech

http://www.conservatives.com/tile.do?def=news.story.page&obj_id=132485&speeches=1

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ID cards. When a half-way competent government would be protecting our security by controlling our borders… …these Labour ministers are pressing ahead with their vast white elephant, their plastic poll tax, twenty Millennium Domes rolled into one giant catastrophe in the making. They've given up trying to find a good reason for it. Last week Tony Blair said that ID cards would help control immigration, when new immigrants won't even have them. Does he even know what's going on in his Government? ID cards are wrong, they're a waste of money, and we will abolish them.

I suppose that what people can assume by Mrs Blair's outburst is, that her husband has been an abysmal failure and he will only be remembered for dragging this country into unwinnable wars for the sake of George Bush and America.

RAF Brize Norton is the base from which all British troops are flown to Iraq and Afghanistan, and where they return to (alive and dead). This national demonstration to the gates of the base is to demand immediate withdrawal of British troops. RAF Brize Norton is also being used to refuel American military flights transporting munitions between Kelly air force base in the USA to Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv, taking bombs to be used by the Israeli Defense Force in the current war in Lebanon.

Some practical freedoms - personal privacy, confidentiality, anonymity, going about our business without need for official permit - are so familiar to us that they are unnoticed, like breathing. This ID scheme will choke them. It seeks to replace the trust in our society with formal validation by officials.

See also http://www.talkswindon.org/index.php?topic=785.msg...

Last Tuesday, comedian / activist Mark Thomas played to a full house at the Arts Centre, promoting his new book "As used on the famous Nelson Mandela: underground adventures into the arms & torture trade". I used to think that he was primarily a comedian who did a bit of campaigning against the arms trade and against silly laws on the side. The opposite seems to be the case; he seems to spend most of his time entraping arms dealers in elaborate stings to higlight the way arms export control laws are full of loopholes, and does a bit of comedy on the side.

A small but determined group of peace campaigners made the long journey from Swindon to Manchester yesterday for the Time to Go march and rally around the GMEX centre where this year’s Labour party conference is being held. Here are some photos of the messages on display during the march.

CHILDREN and campaigners in Swindon marked the UN International Day Of Peace in their own ways. While youngsters at Westlea Primary School sang peace songs, vigils were organised by the local branch of Amnesty International around the town yesterday.

September 21st has been unanimously adopted by all UN member states as the one day in the year for a global ceasefire and non-violence. Peace campaigners in Swindon held a vigil in the town centre to mark the day.

ANNE Snelgrove told us, (SA, Sept 7 2006), that the people of Swindon are not interested in Blair's departure. She is quite wrong in my case.

Ultimately, I think the war in Iraq cost Blair the opportunity of winning a remarkable fourth General Election and subsequently a victorious place in history.

A JURY in the case of two peace activists accused of sabotaging military equipment were sent home for the night after failing to reach a verdict. Paul Milling and Margaret Jones used hammers and bolt-cutters to disable fuel tankers and trailers used for carrying bombs at RAF Fairford, Gloucestershire, on March 13, 2003.

A SWINDON human rights group is asking people to join in a moment of global unity next week. Next Thursday is the UN International Day of Peace and Swindon and Marlborough Amnesty International Group will be holding vigils around the town to mark the occasion.

THE jury in the trial of two peace activists accused of sabotaging military equipment in the build-up to the Iraq war have retired to consider their verdicts.

I thought it might be interesting for us to cut 'n' paste everything that's published about Tony Blair during his last months into one thread......both the bad stuff and the good, if there is good stuff to be found....because I think the 'legacy' that Blair is so concerned with, how he will be remembered in years to come, will be decided by the British media, and not dictated by his own spinmeisters.

PLANS for a major bombing campaign against Baghdad "frightened the life'' out of two peace activists who sabotaged equipment on an RAF base, a court has heard.

SWINDON'S politicians and council staff have learned the true meaning of Jihad at a Broad Street mosque. More than a dozen visitors learned that it means peaceful struggle' during an Islamic awareness course yesterday.

After three and a half years of legal wrangling, the trial of Dr Margaret Jones and Paul Milling for conspiracy to cause criminal damage at Fairford air base in March 2003 began today. If convicted, they face up to ten years in jail. A diverse, colourful and dignified group of well-wishers and supporters turned up to hold a vigil outside Bristol Crown Court. Photos, a short video and some audio clips are included.

STEVE Jack says that Israel "embodies all the values we hold dear in terms of freedom of thought and political expression." This is not true. Political parties which do not support the Jewish state cannot stand candidates. Since Israel is deemed to be a state of the Jews, Arab Israelis, who constitute about 20 per cent of the population, are second class citizens, without the same rights as Jews.

I would like to stand with the Muslim leaders in the town and condemn the attack on the mosque. They have a right to live and worship in peace and without fear of attack. We live in a multi-cultural country and with modern transportation and the global economy we can never turn the clock back to when all people in our country were white Anglo Saxons.

Swastikas and anti-Islamic abuse were daubed on the walls of the Broad Street mosque in an apparent backlash following the alleged terrorist plot to blow up planes from British airports. It is the third time the building has been targeted. This latest attack comes days after Swindon's Muslim leaders met police to ask for more protection. The homemade bomb was thrown through a window in the early hours of yesterday. It did not ignite and police officers patrolling nearby quickly arrested a man in Fleming Way.

SWINDON anti-war protesters say they got their message across after forcing the RAF's busiest base to close its gates. Fifteen members from the town's Stop the War Coalition were joined by 45 other campaigners from across the UK to display their anger at the Government's decision to allow RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire to be used as a refuelling stop for cargo flights to Israel. The protesters claim that the RAF base near Burford has been used as a refuelling stop by cargo planes carrying supplies and armaments to Israel to be used in the war on Hizbollah.

Four people were arrested outside RAF Brize Norton during a demonstration over claims that US planes carrying arms are stopping to refuel at the base on their way to Israel. Police said two men and two women, three from South Wales and one from South London, were arrested on Saturday as about 40 protesters gathered outside the base.

After playing for half an hour it was felt that a more useful protest would be to go and make our presence known at another entrance as police advised us that the base was still fully functioning through the gate on the highstreet. So off we trundled to play to them as well. Upon arriving, the gate was busier than ever. (oddly there seemed to be some kind of hawaian party going on). Before we were within 50 metres of the gates, the two police guarding it paniced and closed everything down - turning away all the cars. Confused, we hung around for a while on the grass not playing, not doin much, just psyching them out with our presence - 10 drummers a journalist and 7 or 8 others brandishing one cardboard plackard... we were a formidable sight in front of one of Britain's biggest military bases!

Two plain clothes cops approached some demonstrators, enquiring if they'd "been to Mildenhall yet" and "What group are you with? You don't look like Swindon Stop-the-War". Inside the gate a group of confused looking hawaiian-shirted & hula-skirted partygoers stood around refusing to dance. This time the gates were reopened after a couple of hours and a few arrests, but next time...

This morning a group of activists, from Pacifist Peace campaigners through to anarchists from Cardiff Anarchist Network, have closed down access to Brize Norton Military air base. The action started about an hour ago, and at present there are huge tail backs with the police trying to get lorries and vehicles in and out of the camp, buit failing to do so. The police are currently considering whether to use their new powers under serious organised crime law to remove the protestors.

A group of 40 people are demonstrating at the RAF base Brize Norton and have blocked the road successfuly for over 50 mins and is ongoing. The base is now closed due to the ongoing action.

A protest called at very short notice outside the main gates of RAF Brize Norton had the unexpected effect of closing the main gates, and possibly the entire base, to all traffic for nearly two hours. Brize Norton is one of the RAF bases reportedly being used to refuel planes delivering bombs from the US to Israel for use in the ongoing massacre of Lebanon. Meanwhile a peace camp is being established nearby to watch for further such flights.

A couple of weeks ago, I sent Anne Snelgrove a WriteToThem expressing my horror at the ongoing bombardment of Lebanon (yes, I know I've said previously that I consider it a complete and utter waste of time writing to her, but I had to do something), and yesterday I received a rather curious reply. I'll get to the point of why it's curious in a minute, but first, in the interests of open government, here are the letters.

Peace campaigners in Swindon were in attendance at the annual “Lanterns on the Lake” event at Coate Water, to highlight the reason for the event – the anniversary of the world’s first, and hopefully last, act of nuclear warfare, in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and also to publicise the protest at Brize Norton this coming Saturday. Things got a bit heated when an Israeli man and his wife took exception to the leaflets being handed out, but fortunately it ended with handshakes and good wishes.

How can it be justified that one country can destroy another's infrastructure, blow up its power stations and kill parts of its population simply because of the criminal elements in its midst? The IRA used to cross the border and kill British soldiers. Did Britain respond by bombing Dublin, or by ripping the skin from Irish children with cluster bombs? Of course not. Why are these Israeli American war crimes allowed to continue?

Please try to come to one of these, if only for an hour or so. No arrestable actions are planned. Bring banners, binoculars, a thermos etc. On Wednesday, a group of people will be going out from Oxford to protest at the main gate of RAF Brize Norton. The action may be covered by Oxford Mail, so let's make it a good one. The protest will start around 6.00pm. On Saturday 12 at 12.00 noon, there will be another protest organized by Swindon Stop the War

PEACE campaigners from Swindon joined thousands in a protest on Saturday against military action in Lebanon. Members of the Stop the War Coalition marched from Hyde Park to the American Embassy and through to Parliament Square, and demanded an immediate end to the violence.

Gordon Brown has finally admitted that future Labour Governments intend to sell intimate details of your identity to companies willing to pay for access to them. Brown argues that the costs of building the Identity Card driven meta data-base (The National Identity Register), will be reduced by selling citizens intimate details to interested parties including insurance brokers, high street companies and foreign police forces.

Almost inevitably, in an attempt to alert people to events at an early stage we may use second-hand or less-than-complete information. I/we will always try to clarify and correct as quickly as possible. In the case of the plane sightings at Brize Norton, it now seems extremely probable that there has so far only been one plane. One of the reasons for confusion is that we sometimes get information from several different sources.

Spokesman Andy Newman, said the Government had failed to press for the conflict to stop and was allowing British airports to be used for flights supplying Israel with missiles. "There is very strong feeling about this, and we want the Government to change its mind," he said. He claimed RAF Brize Norton, less than an hour's drive from Swindon, was used on Monday night for American flights carrying munitions to Israel.

Geoff Reid of NO2ID Swindon said: "Anne Snelgrove clearly can't have had a clue what she was voting for. The Government still can't explain or provide evidence on how ID cards will solve all the problems that it has claimed they will, and it has no answer to people's fears that their personal information will be abused, spread around or even sold. Assurances about keeping the system secure are laughable in light of the appalling track record of Government IT, and all this secrecy about the mess they are in at even this early stage just shows they can't be trusted."

As the slaughter in Lebanon continues, with tacit support from Tony Blair, and munitions flown in via UK airports and air bases, peace campaigners from Swindon will be joining the protest in London this Saturday to demand an immediate cease fire. Meet at 9:30am outside Regents Circus college. Four photos from last Sunday’s demonstration in Trafalgar Square are attached, along with a press release from Swindon Stop the War Coalition, and the latest newsletter from stopwar.org.uk

Today I received information from a very reliable source about an Atlas cargo plane that arrived at Brize Norton on Monday and took off again just after midnight. People monitoring its flight path say that its destination was Tel Aviv. I am trying to get clarification as to whether this is the same plane as the previously reported one with Hebrew markings painted in red.

THE war in Iraq is spreading and destabilising the whole region. It has already spread to Afghanistan, Israel, Gaza and Lebanon. Britain's relationships with Syria and Iran are also deteriorating and drifting towards war.

IN the House of Commons (July 12) concerns were raised that three British subjects were being extradited to the States without them being allowed to put up a defence. Our MP, Anne Snelgrove, claimed that the human rights conditions were met in the various courts that those gentlemen have been through in this country.

HUNDREDS of lanterns will be launched on Coate Water next month. The event, which begins at 2pm on August 9, is in aid of World Peace Day. It takes place on the anniversary of the explosion of atomic bombs over Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Three times the British Army has entered Afghanistan, 1938, 1878 and 1919, all to no avail. The Russians in 1979, with more than 100,000 troops, could not subdue the country and withdrew in 1986. So what hope have the 4,000 British troops?

A link to the Lib Dems' campaign page on ID cards, followed by a debate about whether the aspect of the campaign to spent the money saved by not implementing the NIR on 10,000 extra police, is valid.

Craig Murray, erstwhile UK Ambassador to Uzbekistan has published a book "Murder in Samarkand" about our brave partner in the War On Terror and, inter alia, detailing MI5 and CIA use of information obtained from torture. The Foreign Office (FCO) claimed it was a pack of lies so he obtained documents under Data Protection and Freedom of Information Acts to back up his statements. The FCO said, if he included these documents in his book , they would sue for breech of copyright. (Read those last two sentences again slowly, and see if you can spot the logical flaw ...).

Yesterday, one footballer headbutted another footballer, and today it's still all over the news.

Also yesterday, two people were violently arrested outside Downing Street. Their crime? Holding banners saying "Peace, Justice, Love for all", "to no-one will we sell, to no-one will we refuse or delay justice or right", and "the only stable state is the one in which all men are equal before the law". But this has seemingly gone completely unnoticed by the mainstream media. I have just listened to the full hour of radio 4's PM news programme, and there was no mention. I searched the web, and the only reference to it is this report on Indymedia where I originally read about the incident (reproduced below).

A year on from the Gleneagles G8 summit, at which Tony Blair promised to put trade justice and climate change at the top of the agenda, campaigners in Swindon joined a drumming petition to ensure that their trade justice message was still ringing in the ears of decision makers. Attached are some photos, a 7-minute film, and audio of the two speakers for anyone who lacks the bandwidth to download the film.

We are 1 year on from 7/7

Are we any safer or less safe than we were on the day the UK celebrated London getting the Olympics?

Would ask why we have not been allowed a public enquiry - but i suspect it's 'cos HMG knows the outcome of it & the outcome will include troops going into Iraq!

Soldiers have a right under Queen's regulations to object on conscientious grounds to particular military actions, yet the charity AtEase reports that soldiers are routinely denied this option in practice. Not knowing where to turn some soldiers go AWOL rather than go to Iraq. We have a duty of care for our young men and women who are serving in the Armed Forces.

Sir - This weekend, two English soldiers lost their lives in Afghanistan, and 11 English players lost a football game.

The media and the population seem obsessed with the latter. Why is it that this country seems to have lost its sense of what is really important?

This article was orignally published in Vanity Fair, and reprinted in the Independent. It's very long, but well worth reading, and sharing with anyone who hasn't yet woken up to the creeping erosion of our freedoms. I've reproduced it in full here (with some commentary, a few related links, and some of my own emphasis) due to the tendency of the Independent to hide their best articles behind a subscription firewall. This article is too important not to share.

Topics covered:
Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 / Parliament Square protest ban
Anti-social behaviour orders (ASBOs)
Terrorism Act 2000
Protection from Harassment Act 1997
Civil Contingencies Act 2004
Inquiries Act 2005
Legislative & Regulatory Reform Bill (still going through parliament)
ID Cards Act 2006

... and examples of how they have been (and could be) used for sinister purposes unrelated to their original intentions.

PEACE campaigners in Swindon are planning a trip to Palestine to promote friendship links with the town of Beit Fajjar in the Bethlehem district. Beit Fajjar is a small town of 12,000 people next to the controversial new wall that the Israeli government is constructing.
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The public meeting starts at 7.30pm at the Friends meeting House, Eastcott Hill, Swindon. Everyone is welcome. Any groups interested in developing twinning links can write to Bridget Lucas, care of PO Box 1177, Swindon, SN1 4XB.

Don't you think those of us that have been blinded, lost limbs etc can forget and feel for our Service people who are involved by politicians in illegal, unwinnable wars?

Basically US lawyers are using the 2003 Extradition Act that was passed to enable the extradition of terror suspects to extradite people for every other type of crime. The thing that really annoys me is that while the US do not have to prove people they want to extradite have a case to answer in the US, the UK has to provide that proof before it can extradite a US citizen. Anyone would think that our government thought that US citizens are more important than there own.......

GORDON Brown has announced that he is committed to developing a new generation of nuclear weapons to replace the current Trident system. Has he forgotten already that just over three years ago he voted in favour of invading Iraq on the pretext of an alleged programme of weapons of mass destruction?

CLAUSE 8 of the Armed Forces Bill is important because it introduces a new definition of desertion: Soldiers who go absent without leave AWOL and intend to refuse to take part in a military occupation of a foreign country or territory can be imprisoned for life. When MPs voted for the Bill, including Anne Snelgrove, they voted to try to legitimise occupation, and undermine soldiers' and everyone's right to say no to illegal and immoral orders, a right won after the Second World War, when Britain, the United States and other allies insisted that soldiers who obeyed Nazi orders were war criminals (the Nuremberg Principles).

One of our members proposed affiliation with NO2ID at the recent Unison Natioanl Conference. The proposal was passed ( alnost unaminously !) Unison organises 1.3 million workers in the NHS, Local Government and the Police.

Gordon Brown this week announced his personal commitment to developing a new nuclear weapons programme to replace the UK's ageing Trident system when it finally bites the dust. Does Brown's announcement show him to be the sort of person who is strong enough to lead the country? Or does it show him to be exactly the sort of person who should not achieve such a position of power? Has the outcome of the "debate" on the future of Trident already been decided by the government? Does posession of nuclear weapons make the country more or less secure?

People on this board appear to have strong views about ID Cards, so I have asked the question. This can be fed back to the Conservatives, hopefully by MJD.

Why was good old Tone, jeered and arrests made as well as an egg being thrown at him on his visit to Bristol? Apparantly the Police had to hold back a crowd of about 100. Contrast this to when he visited Swindon a few months back to help the Council, to clean Graffitti off a wall in Toothill, it was all smiles and good humour.

TWO famous heavyweight boxers are fighting the corner of a family of asylum seekers who are desperate to stay in Swindon. Boxing promoter Keith Mayo flew to America to recruit former Olympic gold medallist and undisputed heavyweight champion of the world Leon Spinks and the new WBC heavyweight champion Russia's Sergei Liakovich. Both men were keen to back the Eltuyev family once Keith explained their situation.

The defence of the realm is more at risk from a government that seems to aspire to greatness through tyranny... and there are few acts of tyranny worse than forcing a man to kill when he believes it to be wrong to do so.

Amy, as I see it, isn't concerned about those killed in action, wounded and disabled. They are put in that position by a gang of politicians who are only concerned with their own lives, wages and expenses and pensions. Our Forces are supposed to be for the defence of the realm, not to go out abroad on illegal, unwinnable wars. I should have thought Vietnam would have taught the USA that.

AN MP who believes an RAF Hercules shot down over Iraq could have been saved if vital firefighting equipment had been fitted has urged the Government not to put other lives at risk. North Wiltshire Conserva-tive MP James Gray has written to Defence Secretary Des Browne highlighting the growing concern in the community around RAF Lyneham that there was a chance that if the Hercules XV179 had been fitted with foam suppressant around the wing tanks, then it might have been able to crash-land in Iraq in January 2005.

A PETITION calling for the Home Office not to deport a Chechen family living in Swindon is winging its way to Government ministers.

Private Eye's OBN recipients are chosen with care and it's a sad entry in the history book of Swindon that one of its MPs has been chosen. Ms Snelgrove's comment in the same article that she puts Swindon before party politics rather confirms the award went to the right person.

WILL someone explain to me how the Home Office can be trusted to run a national identity card system and its even more insidious database when it clearly has no idea of the number of illegal immigrants already in the country.

Another letter to Anne Snelgrove from a constituent on the subject of ID cards, and her reply.

I WOULD like to respond to the letter from Andy Newman (May 29) concerning the issue of punishment for members of Her Majesty's Armed Forces for going AWOL and the British military presence in Iraq.

SUPPORT for a family of Chechen asylum seekers is growing. Some 130 Adver readers have filled in a form printed in the paper urging the Home Office to let the Eltuyev's stay. And a residents' petition backing Islan, Zarina and their three young children has passed the 1,000 mark.

I as a Palestine veteran would have liked to go to the London Troops Out of Iraq and Support Palestinian's event. How does he know only a dozen attended? For your information Keith, Palestine is one of the troubles that is tearing the Middle East apart. Sixty years back when we Palestine vets where being shot and bombed by the Jewish terrorists we lost, along with the Palestine police, 784 women (ATS) as well as men.

WITH pensions and pensioners in the news again this week I wonder how many of our elder citizens know how the Identity Cards Act 2006 will affect them? Within the next three or four years every pensioner in the United Kingdom will be required to attend an interview where they will have at least 51 of their "registerable facts" recorded and entered on to their identity car and National Identity Database. They will be compelled to pay at least £93 for this dubious honour, or they will be fined £2,500 each time they fail to attend the interview.

Most go AWOL because they don't know how else to get out of a war their conscience tells them is wrong. It is shocking that they could now face life imprisonment a longer term than child murderers get. These young men go AWOL because they have a conscience something Anne Snelgrove is clearly lacking.

South Swindon MP Anne Snelgrove must be truly desperate for higher office for her to announce such garbage as that the country feels a great sense of pride in its Deputy Prime Minister (SA May 18).

SATIRICAL magazine Private Eye has ridiculed MP Anne Snelgrove for her unflagging loyalty to Government ministers. The South Swindon Labour MP has been awarded the spoof accolade Order of the Backbench Brown Nose. The award comes after comments she made to bolster disgraced John Prescott at his first Commons appearance after he was demoted following revelations of an affair with his diary secretary.

I'M sure that John Prescott was very grateful for the show of loyalty from South Swindon's Labour MP, but are we really to be proud of a minister who has proved to be so successful in the various roles given to him that he now has next to nothing to do?

ADVER readers are backing a bid to let a family of asylum seekers stay in Swindon. Eighty-five per cent of people who voted in a phone and internet poll say that the Eltuyev family should remain. The family fled torture in Chechnya to come to Swindon in May 2003 and now the town wants them to stay, with more than 1,100 people responding to the vote.

Have you renewed your passport early ?

Quote from: Charles Clarke, on 21st March 2006
"... anyone who feels strongly enough about the linkage not to want to be issued with an ID card in the initial phase will be free to surrender their existing passport and apply for a new passport before the designation order takes effect."
— .

The Old Home Secretary has said you can do it.

Don't delay — The new one, John Reid might change this....

THE new Italian Prime Minister, Romano Prodi has announced that the war in Iraq was a grave error' and has committed to speeding up the withdrawal of Italy's 2,600 troops by the end of 2006. It is of grave concern that the UK Government may become the last ones, except for the USA, with actual combat troops in Iraq.

SWINDON'S former mayor Ray Fisher is backing the campaign to let a family of asylum seekers stay in the town. Mr Fisher met Islan Eltuyev, who fled torture in Chechnya, on the open-top bus tour to celebrate Jamie Cox's gold medal win.

So...am I right in assuming that Brian Haw, by displaying more than the 'allotted' 3 metres of protest space, has, in the eyes of Parliament, and the law they created specifically for him, branded himself a 'Serously Organised Criminal' ?.

What's next....internment ?
.... a quick road trip to RAF Northholt to board the 'rendition express'
..... have him committed ?

Labour ministers repeatedly imply future terrorist attacks will be somehow thwarted by the creation of an identity database big enough to contain the 51 registerable facts of 60 million people. I don't believe them.

Sir - My passport expires next month after faithfully assisting my passage all over the globe for the last 10 years. After the Identity Cards Act 2006 became law in March this year, passports have become "designated" documents, and future applications for them will be treated as "voluntary" applications for identity cards, which, I am reliably informed, will eventually double or even triple the cost of applying for a passport.

Romano Prodi has said the war in Iraq was a "grave error" in his first speech to Italy's Senate as prime minister. "It is the intention of this government to propose to parliament the return of our troops from Iraq," he said. The previous government of centre-right PM Silvio Berlusconi had decided to withdraw Italy's 2,600 troops from Iraq by the end of 2006.

SWINDON MP Anne Snelgrove attempted to ride to John Prescott's rescue as he suffered mockery and humiliation at the dispatch box. During rowdy scenes in the Commons, Mrs Snelgrove insisted the country feels a "great deal of pride" for the Deputy Prime Minister.

SOMETHING horrible happens in Iraq and then they pay someone a lot of money to investigate and then they trot out the same old phrases... no money no communications, nobody to blame. This has happened so often that we don't have to have investigations any more. Just change the circumstances and read out the same old excuses.

Estimates vary on the cost of purchasing an Identity card and passport in 2010, but passport applications later this year will cost you a hefty £93. Makes sense to renew now, for £51, even if yours has several years left on it.

Another advantage to the 'renew now' argument is that your new passport will be valid until 2016......that's a full 6 years past the point where either: identity card purchases and passport applications will be forever linked and horrendously expensive......or the whole identity card and national identity register will hopefully have collapsed in a ruinously expensive mess.

If you don't renew now, you can expect to pay at least £93 for a passport renewal until 2010, (and that's only 3 and a half years away), then if you renew during, or after, 2010 you can expect to pay several hundred pounds for your passport and, by then, compulsory identity card.

Section 8 of the bill would introduce a new and tougher definition of desertion: soldiers who go absent without leave (AWOL) and intend to refuse to take part in a “military occupation of a foreign country or territory” can be imprisoned for life. Osman Murat Ülke, a Conscientious objector from Turkey who won his right in the European Court not to be repeatedly jailed for his refusal, said of Section 8: “A soldier is still a human being and not a mechanical extension of the military apparatus. No contract, no oath and no law can change this.” The new Armed Forces bill is suggesting therefore a law that would in certain circumstances contravene the Nuremberg Principles (1950) which enshrined in international law the responsibility of each of us to refuse to obey illegal and immoral orders from any government.

MY passport expires next month. After the Identity Cards Act 2006 became law in March this year, passports have become "designated" documents, and applications for them will be treated as "voluntary" applications for identity cards, which, will double or even triple the cost of a passport. However, if I renew my passport now, I will not yet be forced into the compulsory purchase of an identity card, (until 2010), but my details will be entered into the fledgling National Identity Register.

I think we all know that there is something wrong with the way the people of this country are represented. We elect a representative to Parliament, only then to have that representative serve the party machine and not the electorate that put them where they are. This isn't happening just in Swindon, but all over the country. So how does the will of the people get represented in a fair and democratic way, instead of what Senior Party Members think is best for everyone?

An MP of whatever persuasion cant have a long running conversation with a constituent by letter,it is not productive nor in the interests of other members of the public who may have more immediate and pressing concerns.

You are entitled to your view on ID cards and anything else as is Anne.

You rather pathetic attempts at public school humour on this board are rather self indulgent and boring.

Fact is that Anne was elected on the manifesto of the Labour party by the public and she is being loyal to that manifesto, if you dont like that then fine you can vote against her or run for Parliament yourself.

Making cheap schoolboy jibes helps nobody and just demeans debate.

For over four years now, Brian Haw has been a thorn in the government's side with his permanent protest camp across the road from the Houses of Parliament, initially against the sanctions against Iraq, and then against the invasion and subsequent occupation. Every time ministers and MPs attend parliament, they are confronted with a reminder of the crimes committed in our name, in the form of banners and posters along the whole of one side of Parliament Square.

So what do the government do? They add a section into the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act, specifically intended to remove Brian Haw from Parliament Square, by requiring that any demonstrations within a kilometre of parliament be authorised by the police, who can then impose arbitrary conditions on the demonstration.

THE siting of a passport office in Swindon may appear to be a welcome development (Advertiser, May 4). However, it should be sounding the alarm bells. For it marks the first step in the Government's plans to introduce compulsory ID cards. The cosily named "interview centres" will eventually function as legally enforced Government registration offices and they will be at the heart of the new State surveillance IT system.

CALLS for compulsory voting by the Institute for Public Policy Research have missed the main reason why so many now fail to vote. The main reason, in my view, is due to the three big parties no longer commanding respect and being unworthy of our trust.

HAVING "lost" a largish group of people that were under lock and key, can we trust Charles Clarke to keep our identity safe on his National Identity Register? I would say, no.

On the subject of how medical records could be added to the National Identity Register, and a sample letter of objection.

Having been ordered last month by Swindon Combined Court to pay the income tax he has been withholding (see http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2006/04/337510.html ), Peace Tax Seven campaigner Robin Brookes and supporters made a public demonstration yesterday of how spending our taxes on preparation for war is equivalent to pouring money down the drain. (Photos and short video)

Tony Blair suffered a poor night in England's local elections as Labour made net losses of more than 100 seats. The Prime Minister will reshuffle his Cabinet today as he seeks to regain momentum after days of bad headlines. The Tories and Lib Dems both made early gains. The BNP has doubled its number of councillors, including winning 11 in Barking and Dagenham.

THE Government has turned down a request for a Commons debate on whether firefighting equipment should have been fitted to a Lyneham Hercules shot down in Iraq. Leader of the House of Commons Geoff Hoon rejected Liberal Democrat calls for a debate on defence procurement. An RAF board of inquiry last year revealed that while the crash of Hercules XV179 was not survivable, the lack of a fuel tank safety system could have contributed to the incident.

THE British National Party's bid to get a political foothold in the south west has been soundly beaten by voters in Swindon.

IN January this year there was cross-party agreement in council to oppose the use of the National ID card for access to local services. There will be new councillors following today's elections and to help voters understand the position of their candidate on the hugely expensive and invasive ID card Swindon NO2ID surveyed each candidate to check out their view.
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All responses to the NO2ID survey are posted by ward on the public forum http://www.talkswindon.org

DEFENCE Secretary John Reid has admitted that with hindsight an RAF Hercules shot down over Iraq could have been saved if vital firefighting equipment had been fitted. But the cabinet minister insisted the decision not to fit explosive suppressant foam earlier was a reasonable one.

ALL adults in Swindon applying for new passports must attend a 20-minute face-to-face interview at a new office to be opened in the town, it has been revealed. The hunt is now on to find offices that can cope with an estimated 4,222 applicants every year, in a move to combat the growing threat of identity fraud.
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"If you renew your passport now you get 10 more years of freedom and hopefully the idea of national identity cards will have been abandoned by then." For information on renewing your passport go to www.renewforfreedom.org

A FORMER Hercules pilot who claims that defence chiefs ignored his warnings that aircraft lacked vital safety equipment has been branded a self-publicist. Tory MP James Gray has urged Flight Lieutenant Nigel Gilbert to let it lie. Flt Lt Gilbert believes the crew of a Lyneham transport plane downed last year in Iraq would probably have survived if firefighting explosive suppressant foam had been fitted.

A new network of 69 offices to be used to interview first-time passport applicants has been unveiled.

AN ACTION group aiming to stop the British National Party from getting a foothold in Swindon has taken to the streets again. Swindon Against Fascism (SAF), who are campaigning against the BNP's candidate Reg Bates, were out in Gorse Hill and Pinehurst for the second time in two weeks to urge people not to vote for the far-right party in Thursday's council elections.

Read the bbc online 'Have your say' letters/comments and note that more than a few are asking the obvious question of the competancy of a man and department who fail to deport dangerous foreign criminals... The same department which claims compentancy to run an ID database...?

It is important that the BNP is defeated democratically, and we mustn't allow their members to dress themselves up as martyrs of free speech. It is legitimate to have political debate on immigration and asylum seekers and terrorism. Lots of people have concerns over these issues and both sides of the argument should be represented in the democratic process.

At our London volunteers meeting last week (18th April), NO2ID announced our new "renew for freedom" campaign. A factsheet and renew for freedom website were also launched. The aim is to encourage supporters to renew their passports in May, ahead of the linkage between the passport and the National Identity Register. Last month the Home Secretary, Charles Clarke, said that "anyone who feels strongly enough about the linkage [...] will be free to surrender their existing passport and apply for a new passport before the designation order takes effect." As detailed in our factsheet it is possible to renew your passport at any time without having to pretend the dog ate it. The price of a standard 10-year adult passport is set to rise to £93 when the ID card scheme kicks in. If you renew now you get 10 years of freedom for just £51 rather than waiting to pay £93 for lifelong surveillance.

THERE has often been people and groups who seek power by identifying a minority, attributing behaviour patterns to them and then blaming that minority for society's ills. It can be anything that identifies the target group Jews, Catholics, skin colour, anything provided the remaining community can be persuaded they are okay as they are not one of them.

The no2id Swindon group recently sent every candidate, standing for election in the May the 4th Local Council ELections, a small questionaire. The questionaire asked each candidate for their views on the Governments plans to introduce compulsory identity cards, compulsory entry onto the database of National Identity Register. Also asked was whether the candidate supported, or would have supported the motion to oppose national ID cards and the National Identity Register which was carried on the 26th January 2006 by the Councillors of Swindon Borough Council.

Many candidates have already returned their questionaires, however, on no2id's behalf, we would be delighted to receive, and publish, responses from the following candidates who have not yet responded.

I am writing with reference to Anne Snelgrove's letter (SA, April 12), in which she quite clearly states: "Mr Reid got lots of answers from me. He just didn't like them!" This statement is simply not true. In my second letter to Mrs Snelgrove I politely asked her: "Might I press you to comment, in your own words please, on the quotes I have taken from your letter dated March 10, 2006."

A COALITION aiming to keep the British National Party out of Swindon has begun its campaign in earnest. Swindon Against Fascism (SAF), which is opposing the BNP's candidate Reg Bates, took its campaign to the streets of Gorse Hill and Pinehurst on Saturday with a mass leaflet drop.

THE sister of a serviceman who died when an RAF Lyneham-based Hercules was shot down in Iraq plans to sue the Ministry of Defence. Sarah Chapman's brother Robert O'Connor, 38, was one of 10 servicemen killed when Hercules was shot down by insurgents in January last year. According to a report in the Times she wants compensation from the Government on the ground that too little was done to protect the troops.

"No one should fear correct identification" - David Blunkett, former home secretary. With a picture of the yellow star that Jews were obliged to wear under Nazi Germany.

THE announcement by the president of Iran that they now have the capability of producing a nuclear weapon is serious. However, before the British Government joins in the denunciation of this proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, it should look at its own nuclear house and put this in order.

SOME residents of Wanborough do not receive any reply when writing to their MP Anne Snelgrove (SA, April 13). To be fair MPs do have an abundance of mail on many problems and subjects.

However, there is a code of conduct for members of Parliament which reminds them of their obligations and duty to their constituents. The Parliamentary Commissioner For Standards monitors the operation of the code of conduct and investigates complaints about MPs. He can be contacted at the House of Commons, Westminster, London SW1A 2TT.

The Labour Party launch their local election campaign with a cartoon satirising David Cameron as a chameleon. And then the Backing Blair crew produce an annotated version, with amusing results.

AN anti-British National Party alliance has been launched to stamp out a bid by the right wing group to join Swindon Council. Swindon Against Fascism plans two days of action this month as well as mass leaflet drops throughout the Gorse Hill and Pinehurst ward where BNP candidate Reg Bates is standing. Mr Bates is the first BNP member to stand for Swindon Council and the only candidate for the controversial right-wing party in the South West.

IN the recent debate on ID cards in the commons, Anne Snelgrove argued that Labour's manifesto pledge that ID cards would be voluntary was not being broken, even though it will be compulsory to have an ID card if you apply for a passport.

We are pleased to announce that over one hundred NO2ID local groups have now been set-up around the country. Local groups are the key to getting the facts about ID cards and the National Identity Register to people at a grass roots level. Our groups have been holding public meetings, encouraging local councils to pass anti-ID motions, setting up street stalls, handing out leaflets and collecting signatures from Inverness to Torquay. What is more local groups were instrumental in delaying the ID bill as it moved through parliament, particularly the extraordinary five rejections by the House of Lords. Well done to all involved.

Since our last newsletter many of our supporters have been lobbying election candidates for the upcoming local elections on 4th May. Our Doncaster group have even managed to get our web address on Liberal Democrat candidates' leaflets. If you haven't contacted your local candidates yet please do. Ask them their position on ID cards and make it clear to them that you will never vote for a supporter of compulsory registration or ID cards. ID cards are a local issue, the astronomical costs of implementing the scheme will be passed to councils who will be forced to increase council tax.

Swindon Against Fascism is a single issue campaign not linked with any political party. Saturday April 22nd and April 29th, assemble 11:00 am, by the Salvation Army in Chapel Street, Gorse Hill, Swindon. (free parking!). The BNP are standing a candidate for Swindon council in the Gorse Hill and Pinehurst ward. We plan to leaflet the whole ward both days. Please do come we need a big turn out.

I was just trawling around the home office site and came across this intesting little press release with a memorable quote from Andy Burnham - the Home-Office Minister :-

"For the first time frequent travellers and non-EU citizens will be able to enter the country via Manchester Airport quickly and securely by using IRIS technology. With over 97 million people entering the UK in 2005, it is important that the UK remains at the forefront of the latest technology in immigration controls and the Government’s commitment to project IRIS demonstrates that. Secure and effective border controls are vital to safeguard our citizens against terrorism, serious and organised crime and illegal immigration, while at the same time facilitating entry for legitimate travellers."

I find it funny that the Blair government is will to implement a system with known faults over such a simple method of securing borders known as more immigration officers checking peoples paperwork.

I have just read what I believe to be the first letter in support of the Government's ID Card Bill (Mistaken on ID card responses, April 12). I was not surprised to discover it was from Anne Snelgrove MP, the same MP who first claimed that she had not received any letters opposing the Bill (SA, November 19 2005) when, in fact, a number of her constituents had sent such letters (SA, November 26, 28 and 29, 2005).

You may have already read Geoff's report of his communications with Anne Snelgrove MP (Labour, Swindon South) on the subject of ID cards and the National Identity Register, in the thread Is my member of Parliament Deaf? elsewhere in this forum. I had a very similar experience in my own communications with Ms Snelgrove on the same subject, so I'm posting them here to demonstrate that Geoff's experience is not an isolated incident.

WITH reference to the letter by Geoff Reid (SA April 10) I write to Tony Blair and also I have written to Labour MPs Anne Snelgrove and Michael Wills. On each occasion I have received most satisfactory and enlightening replies. Maybe Mr Reid is not asking the right questions.

I AM writing regarding Geoff Reid's letter about the MPs ignoring his questions. I must say that he can't have had much dealing with Mr Wills because I have had to write to Mr Wills on at least seven occasions and, when writing, I introduce myself as one of his constituents not as someone who votes for him or anyone else. That is my business.

I sympathise with Geoff Reid who seems to find Anne Snelgrove's correspondence nothing more than the regurgitation of New Labour pap. However, I have to tell him that I have found Michael Wills to be a very willing and combative correspondent.

At a meeting convened by Swindon TUC with a widely representative attendance it was agreed to set up Swindon Against Fascism to campaign against the BNP in the local election. As you may be aware, they are standing a candidate in Gorse Hill & Pinehurst.

Mr Reid (SA, April 10) says that his MP Anne Snelgrove does not answer his letters. He is lucky to have received a generic letter. At least three Wanborough residents have written to her, on several occasions, and we are all waiting for a reply. After four letters I am still expecting a response. Even an acknowledgement slip would be acceptable!

In the run up to the 2005 General Election, the Labour Party made many promises and claims in a bid to win favour with the British electorate. One such promise concerned the introduction of identity cards and a national identity database. Labour promised us:

‘We will introduce ID cards, including biometric data like fingerprints, backed up by a national database and rolling out initially on a voluntary basis as people renew their passports’

Now we are told that, (after 2010), if we wish to apply for a new or renewal passport, (or certain other 'designated documents'), we also will be ordered to attend an appointment to have our biometric data recorded and placed onto a government database, and an identity card will be issued to us for which we will be expected to pay an amount that the government has yet to announce.

A LABOUR Government minister has urged residents to vote for anyone but the British National Party in May's council election. Local Government Minister Phil Woolas addressed a meeting of concerned residents at the Punjabi Community Centre in Gorse Hill yesterday. The meeting followed in the wake of the BNP putting forward candidate Reg Bates in the fight for the Gorse Hill and Pinehurst ward.
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Launching the Swindon Against Fascism campaign, union south west organiser Hugh Kirkbride said the BNP had clearly targeted the town and is committed to stirring up race hatred, fascism and violence. "The only effective way of preventing this is for all democrats in the town to unite in their opposition to the BNP," he said.

I wrote to Anne Snelgrove recently (Labour, South Swindon ) regarding my concerns over Labour's plans for voluntary identity cards being anything but. I received a generic letter by return, not surprising, considering that almost anything produced by this Government is ambiguously generic and Teflon coated, particularly if it is committed to paper or videotape.

MOVES to slash the pensions of war widows who successfully sue the Ministry of Defence have been branded disgraceful. North Wiltshire MP James Gray attacked defence leaders after it was revealed widows who successfully sue over the deaths of men in Iraq may receive a reduced pension. The policy has reportedly forced the widow of a serviceman, killed when an RAF Lyneham Hercules was shot down in Iraq, to think again about launching legal action.

can some one give me a straight answer to my questions ?
will medical information be on the data base that the id cards will be linked to?
if so who will have acess to this information?
if so why are medical groups not up in arms about it ? for example mental health groups, terence higgins, elderly ect, and if medical info is not on there, will it stay that way?
if medical info is going to be shared then i wonder if jo bloggs who supports the id card and has had depression ,will feel the same when they relise this info could be shared with employers, insurers ect.

The Home Office has proposed logging details of every financial transaction conducted by every citizen with a value over £100, and the database will be operational from 2008. As IT experts we have a responsibility to ensure the government is made aware of the technology's limitations.

The Government said in its manifesto that ID cards would be rolled out on a voluntary basis as people renewed their passports. This means there will be no choice about enrolling on the National Identity Register and paying for an ID card when renewing one's passport. This does not sound voluntary but more like compulsion to have our personal details entered on a Government-engineered database.

The Draft Code of Practice on the application of Civil Penalties under the Identity Cards Act 2006, and how an ID card will be used when you do something as everyday as collecting a parcel.

A WILTSHIRE peace protester has been ordered to pay his tax bill or face the bailiffs. Robin Brookes appeared Swindon County Court yesterday to contest the Inland Revenue's demand for withheld taxes of £540. About 22 supporters gathered outside the court with placards saying "taxes for peace not war" to show their support.

Around twenty supporters were at Swindon Combined Court on 3rd April 2006 to hear the judge uphold the Inland Revenue’s claim against Peace Tax Seven member Robin Brookes for unpaid income tax.

SWINDON Stop The War Coalition will be holding its annual meeting on Tuesday at 7.30pm at the Friends Meeting House in Eastcott Hill Coalition secretary Andy Newman said: "Everyone is welcome and we will be discussing what activities we should be doing to ensure the early withdrawal of troops from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Where does one go next when your own Member of Parliament doesn’t want to answer your questions?. I wrote to Anne Snelgrove recently, (Lab Swindon South), regarding my concerns over Labours plans for ‘Voluntary’ identity cards. I received a generic ‘catch-all’ letter by return….. not surprising considering that almost anything produced by this government seems to be ambiguously ‘catch-all’, generic and Teflon coated, particularly if it’s committed to paper or videotape.

[Includes full text of letters between exchanged between Anne Snelgrove and her constituent]

JOHN Utting (Adver, March 2) asks me to give a list of British citizens being extradited to the USA simply on the word of a US prosecutor. My original letter to the Adver was specifically in reference to the terrible fate of local man Giles Darby, from Lower South Wraxall, who was a banker with NatWest, not a terrorist suspect.

PURTON anti-war campaigner Douglas Barker who withheld 10 per cent of his income tax in protest over the Iraq war is remaining defiant despite receiving a letter from the bailiffs. Mr Barker, 72, who attended the peace demonstrations in London at the weekend, said he would refuse to let the bailiffs into his house. He said: "They've sent me a letter saying they'd be visiting me in the next seven days but that was more than seven days ago.

As Ms Snelgrove accurately stated the Government said in its manifesto that ID cards would be rolled out on a voluntary basis as people renewed their passports. We are now given to understand that this means one will have no choice about enrolling on the National Identity Register and paying for an ID card when one renews one passport. This sounds a little less than voluntary to me. It sounds like compulsion. Compulsion to have one's personal details entered on to a Government database.

I wrote to my MP asking if the providers of this technology would be the same firms (EDS, Capita, etc) that have so spectacularly failed in the provision of schemes for the Child Support Agency, Ministry of Defence, Register of Offenders and so on at a cost of billions of pounds. Unfortunately, Anne Snelgrove chose not to answer my questions.

Yesterday peers voted by 211 to 175, a majority of 36, to ensure that the scheme remained voluntary until 2011 - after the next general election - rather than rejecting the link to passports outright. But following the vote, the Home Office minister Andy Burnham accused the opposition of "playing politics" and said the new amendment was unworkable.
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"I accept that it has been suggested that Lord Phillips' amendment is a compromise. Can I say as clearly as I can that it is not," she [Baroness Scotland] said. The link between passports and ID cards had been fully discussed by MPs, and the Lords should give way to the Commons because its role was to "question and test, but not to overrule". Lord Stoddart of Swindon, an independent Labour peer, said that would reduce the Lords to little more than a debating chamber. "The role of this house is to consider legislation, amend it as necessary and if they [the Lords] believe in their amendments, to stick to them," he told Lady Scotland.

Sir - I would like to thank Labour and my local MP (Anne Snelgrove) for crystallising in my mind how the introduction of "voluntary" ID cards will infringe my civil liber ties. Either I "volunteer" to have an ID card, or I lose my right to travel abroad. No more foreign holidays, or business trips for work. Lose my job? Join the dole queue!

I wrote to my MP asking if the providers of the technology needed to run a system that will hold 51 items of information for everyone over the age of five would be EDS and Capita which have already cost us billions. Would we be able to call upon the experience gained in the mess of schemes for the Child Support Agency, Ministry of Defence, Register Of Offenders and so on? Unfortunately Ms Anne Snelgrove MP chose not to answer my questions.

SWINDON'S anti-war protesters marked the third anniversary of the invasion of Iraq by joining worldwide demonstrations. More than a dozen campaigners headed on a coach from Swindon to London on Saturday to join protests and make their voices heard in urging the Government to pull British troops out of the war-torn Middle Eastern nation.
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Andy Newman, of Swindon's Stop the War Coalition, who went on the march, said: "It was a lively day and it shows that we are still determined to get the message across. "We have come to a point where few believe we were right to go to war and almost nobody believes that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. There was also a lot of emphasis on the future of Iran, and the threat of action over its nuclear programme. I am sceptical myself, about any possible attack. I think it is megaphone diplomacy. What was really missing from the weekend's protest were concerns about the increased numbers of troops heading to Afghanistan. Having our troops in both of these countries is not achieving anything and is making the situation over there worse. It would be much better to bring them home out of harm's way."

Three years on from the “shock and awe” invasion of Iraq, Stop the War Coalition, Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and the Muslim Association of Britain held a march and rally in London, as part of an international day of protest (see http://www.stopwar.org.uk/march20/index.asp ). Here are photos, audio clips, and a report of the day.

REGARDING the death of the 100th British serviceman to be killed in Iraq, will the politicians who get our country involved in these conflicts never learn? I wrote to Anne Snelgrove, the South Swindon MP, about this and I received a letter from her no answers, no mention of Iraq, just four pages of doubtful claims, which in my days in the Forces would have been called "bull".

SWINDON Stop the War Coalition will take part in a national demonstration in London to mark the third anniversary of the Iraq war. There will be demonstrations around the world to coincide with the London protest on Saturday.

I WOULD be interested to know how much trust supporters of Identity Cards have in the technology. For example, scanning the iris of your eye is the best biometric measurement available, but sometimes the check is wrong, especially for people with brown eyes. The only people who will gain will be terrorists and criminals who will find it so much easier to gain a false identity by buying a single fake card.

ON September 2, 2002 I wrote you a letter warning readers of a possible action by Blair over Iraq. For some time before the attack, the public was softened up with stories of weapons of mass destruction which appears to have been a new invention of our Ministry of Defence. Neither we, nor the Americans, seem to have made any plans to restore the damage to Basra and other cities, and far more soldiers have been killed since peace' was declared by President Bush.

SKATEBOARDERS from across Swindon who descended on the town centre had only one thing to say skating is not a crime. Dozens of skaters of all ages met at the Millennium clock on Saturday to hold a peaceful protest and prove they were not troublemakers. As reported in the Adver last month, police are planning to outlaw skateboarding from the town centre in a bid to curb anti-social behaviour, particularly around the Wyvern Theatre.

Following a proposal by police to outlaw skateboarding in Swindon town centre, a group of teenagers today held a protest to show their objection to the ban. The proposed ban, which was announced in the Swindon Advertiser on the 22nd February, comes in the wake of a series of police measures to counter a perceived problem of groups of youths intimidating people by congregating in groups. Other such measures over the past year have included the ability to forcibly escort home any minors found in the West Swindon Centre and Shaw Ridge Leisure Park after 9pm, and the ability to remove from Theatre Square any group of two or more teenagers who “harass, intimidate, alarm or distress” a member of the public.

SO, biometric passports are to be issued while the Identity Cards Bill still bounces around in Westminster. This gives the lie to Government statements that the bulk of the costs of compulsory ID cards would be incurred anyway because of international regulations for new passports.

AS an ex-serviceman I am disgusted by the latest report from the Ministry of Defence that there has been almost 100 life-threatening kit failures and 2,837 lesser breakdowns in equipment used by our forces in the war zone. These include constant failures in the SA 80 rifle and numerous breakdowns in the Warrior and Challenger 2 tanks. If I had a loved one serving in Afghanistan or Iraq I would be really worried.

I WAS helping to collect signatures in Swindon town centre on Saturday for a national petition opposing the Government's proposal to introduce ID cards when I met about six or seven young people who had organised their own petition opposing a blanket ban on skateboarding in the centre of Swindon. What a polite, articulate and persuasive group they were.

Sir - One of your correspondents, Mr Greenhalgh, asks why would he want yet another card to verify his ID, and one that he would have to pay for (Your Say, March 6). Hear, hear! Unfortunately, our MP Anne Snelgrove doesn't seem to agree. I have written to her several times about this subject, but she remains unswervingly loyal to her party, as always.

I WAS highly disappointed to read Anne Snelgrove's glib comment on the subject of ID cards the other week "International terrorism does not respect civil liberties. What I want is the maximum protection and security of identity for residents of Swindon." (SA Feb 14). Interesting that she appears to be conceding that the ID card bill does affect civil liberties (even if she remains unable to explain how it would help our security against home-grown suicide bombers, in Swindon, or anywhere else).

Sir - I already have enough cards verifying my ID - why would I want another that I have to pay for? Why, also, would I want the Government to create a new database holding my information when they already have all the data they need via the Inland Revenue, NHS, DVLA etc?

Lynda Warren of No2ID said: "It is crucial that the Lords keep heart and insist the government keeps to its manifesto promise, which was that ID Cards would be voluntary. Many Peers have argued robustly in defence of our civil liberty." The ID card Bill returns to the House of Lords on Monday.

NO-ONE wants them, they were proved no help in Spain and elsewhere, the cost is beyond extortion, they are un-British, an insult to our civil liberties and have been defeated in the House of Lords yet still the Government insist on us having ID cards.

NORTH Wiltshire District Council has voted against the use of Government ID Cards for access to local services. A motion which was designed to buffer North Wiltshire residents from the effects of the ID Card Bill and National Identity Register was passed with a cross-party majority at a meeting on Wednesday.

It seems that when New Labour uses the word terrorism we are supposed to believe whatever they say. They seem to treat civil liberties issues as if it was a game of Simon Says.

Adver readers are against proposals to ban skateboarding from the town centre, a poll shows. More than 500 people have voted in the debate that has been raging since the Adver first revealed the police plans on Wednesday. Sixty one per cent of those who took part in the internet and phone poll were against the ban, which would see youngsters fined if they were caught skateboarding in town.

PROTESTERS claimed a victory against an "invasion of privacy" at North Wiltshire District Council on Tuesday night. The protest group, NO2ID gathered outside the council's Monkton Park headquarters to campaign against the controversial Home Office scheme.
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At the district council meeting on Tuesday, members voted for a motion put forward by leader Carol O'Gorman, proposing the council reject the use of ID cards for access to local services.

More than 150 friends and family gathered at Crudwell for the funeral of well-known peace campaigner the Rev Sidney Hinkes. Mr Hinkes, 81, of Bremilham Road, Malmesbury, died in hospital of a heart attack on February 8. He leaves his wife Elsie, five children and three foster children.
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Rev Hinkes was a leading member in the Stop the War Coalition throughout the Iraq conflict and for many years chaired the Anglican Pacifist Fellowship.

Skateboarding could soon be outlawed from the middle of Swindon as police clamp down on trouble around the Wyvern Theatre. The ban, which would cover the entire town centre, is one option open to officers as they look at ways to reduce antisocial behaviour. Skaters say the tactic is heavy-handed and unnecessary.

ANNE Snelgrove said: "International terrorism does not respect civil liberties. What I want is the maximum protection and security of identity for residents of Swindon," (Adver, Feb 14). Does she know that international terrorism does not respect ID cards either?

IF you press the right button on people of a certain ilk, it triggers an automatic response "they went to war to steal Iraq's oil" although there is no recorded evidence that this is true.

This is a sorry tale of the government’s ID card Bill, a misquote in the local press and an MP who doesn’t answer questions. This tale starts with a feature on ID cards, published in the Swindon Advertiser in November 2005. Alongside an article by the founder of the Swindon no2id group, there was an interview with South Swindon’s Blairite MP, and supporter of the ID card scheme, Anne Snelgrove. The confusion started when the Adver misquoted Anne Snelgrove as saying that she had received thousands of letters in support of ID cards.

She has brought up two daughters, dabbled in jobs which have taken her from the aviation industry to creating crop mazes and admits that when it comes to politics she has always been "wishy washy". But like hundreds of others across Britain's social spectrum, Lynda Warren has vowed to go to prison rather than participate in the Government's compulsory ID card scheme.

I WOULD like to congratulate Douglas Barker, the Purton pensioner who has withheld 10 per cent of his taxes in protest against the Iraq war. By this simple act of civil disobedience, he has gained a tremendous amount of publicity.

MPs in the House of Commons voted in favour of compulsory ID cards yesterday, rejecting a House of Lords amendment to make the card voluntary. But local civil liberties figures are angry at what they claim were strong-arm tactics from the Government. Lynda Warren of civil liberty group NO2ID has pledged to refuse to carry a card. She said: "The whips did a good job last night forcing party members to vote with the Government.

THE Swindon branch of a group campaigning against ID cards has called on local MPs to query figures on identity fraud. The House of Commons is due to vote on the ID Card Bill on Monday, following amendments to the bill in the House of Lords. Lynda Warren, of the NO2ID group, believes the Government has exaggerated the cost of identity fraud to give weight to the argument in favour. She said: "The Home Office claims that identity fraud costs £1.7billion per year but the true figure is well less than one third of that amount.

FORMER RAF pilot Nigel Gilbert who was a close friend of a number of the Lyneham crew who died in Iraq believes their aircraft could have survived the enemy fire that brought it down. He has hit out at Government claims the Hercules crash in which ten men died, was not survivable and says he has evidence to prove it. He says the main reason servicemen perished in the tragedy was because the aircraft didn't have an anti explosion protection system, known as foam retardant.

CELEBRITY Big Brother contestant George Galloway's appearance in Swindon is to go ahead. Following the cancellation of the first night of his tour of the country, the Wyvern Theatre has said his appearance on Sunday March 3 will not suffer the same fate.

G SCOTT should reflect on the fact that if certain so-called civilised governments had not funded right-wing dictators we would not have people seeking asylum here.

A PURTON anti-war campaigner who withheld 10 per cent of his income tax in protest at the Iraq campaign could have his assets seized by the Inland Revenue. Douglas Barker, says the Iraq war was illegal and he should not be forced to fund it.

Anti-war protesters gathered at the cenotaph in Swindon to mark the death of the 100th British soldier in Iraq. Andy Newman, from Swindon's Stop the War Coalition, read out the names of the 100 British soldiers who have lost their lives as well as the names of 100 Iraqi people who have perished. The ceremony, at 6pm last night, ended with a two-minute silence. Vigils were staged across the UK by anti-war groups to mark the death of the 100th British soldier since the conflict began in 2003.

A PURTON anti-war campaigner is risking prosecution for the second time in a year by withholding ten per cent of his income tax. As reported in late editions of yesterday's Advertiser, farmer Douglas Barker, 72, of Church End, has filed his income tax return for the last tax year and again has refused to contribute to what he describes as illegal weapons.

Tuesday 30th January 2006 saw the death of the 100th British soldier in the war in Iraq. Peace campaigners in Swindon joined others in many towns around the country in a vigil the following day to mark this event. The names of two hundred victims of the war; the one hundred soldiers, and one hundred of the hundred-thousand plus Iraqis, were read out in front of the Cenotaph, followed by a two-minute silence.

I HAVE little time for Saddam, but he does at least deserve a fair trial. Can anyone explain how he is to get this when the judge comes from a town where Saddam's forces are said to have murdered about 5,000 people.

I am sure we Swindonians are appreciative of Tony Blair's recent visit to show us how to wash a wall. However, I would like to add my concerns to those expressed by Shirley Mathias and solicitor Martin Guyll-Wiggins. It is said householders who act anti-socially may be thrown out of their homes for three months under the Respect measures. So who will protect the empty properties in their absence? They will become targets for burglars and vandals. It is equally likely that families returning to their homes will be subjected to vengeful anti-social behaviour the very thing Mr Blair wants to stamp out.

Eventually, item ten came around and the councillors turned their attention to the ID card scheme. Peter Greenhalgh (Con, Freshbrook and Grange Park), proposing the motion, highlighted the cost of the scheme. £570 million according to home office figures or more like £14 to £20 billion if you prefer to believe the London School of Economics. He pointed out that councils will bear the cost of making their systems and processes compatible with the proposed ID cards. He also spoke of the security aspect of the huge database which would underlie the scheme. Speaking from a position of authority as an IT professional working with enterprise-scale databases, he pointed out that there is no such thing as a completely secure system, just a system which has not been compromised yet. He also cast doubt on the government’s ability to implement a system as vast and complex as this on time, within budget, and working first time – a reasonable doubt, considering past experience of systems such as Tax Credits and the Child Support Agency.

MR UKIP, aka G Scott, of Okus Road is obsessed with the imaginary dangers of a European take-over. Look west, young man at the USA intent on building an empire. It has overthrown democratically elected governments in South America and invaded one British island.

SWINDON Councillors have voted against the Government's proposals to introduce identity cards. The opposition to the scheme came after Coun Peter Greenhalgh (Con, Freshbrook and Grange Park) tabled a motion against the plans for identity cards at last night's full council meeting. "I think this government is talking about wasting unbelievable sums of money," said Coun Greenhalgh. "We can spend money in a much more useful fashion. The government wants to introduce ID cards because it has been unable to deal with illegal immigrants, benefit fraud and crime."

SWINDON councillors arriving for a meeting tonight will be greeted by Charles Clarke. The real Home Secretary may be busy at Westminster but one campaigner from the Swindon No2ID group will be dressed up as his alter ego in a bid to persuade councillors to oppose the cards. A conservative councillor will be bidding to put the council on a collision course with the Labour Government by calling on colleagues to oppose the cards.

Swindon Borough Council tonight passed a motion opposing the government's ID cards bill. It was supported by most of the majority conservative group and the lib dems, and opposed by about half of the dwindling labour group. Full report to follow....

I THINK George Galloway has made a fool of himself on Big Brother. However, there is a lot of hypocrisy from other politicians complaining how Galloway should be spending his time working for his constituents. It seems impossible to turn on the TV without finding Dianne Abbott, or Charles Kennedy or Boris Johnson.

IF Labour is the party of Britishness, I'm a flying cactus. If they value liberty, why do they want ID cards and to lock us up for 90 days without charge? Why do they want the police force under central control?

IT would seem I was too hasty in my reading of Mr Newman's original letter concerning the BNP, and I misunderstood a part of what he wrote.

QUESTIONS over the death of 10 airmen in the RAF Hercules disaster are to be raised in the House of Commons.
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Shadow Defence Secretary Liam Fox said he would table Parliamentary questions on whether ministers had talks with the transporter plane's manufacturer, Lockheed, about protective systems.

"We now know that fuel inerting systems were fitted to Australian C130s by the end of 2003 and then by the US Air Force," he said. "We must now be told what discussions took place and when. If ministers sent British servicemen and women on operations with less protection than our Allied counterparts, it would be a gross dereliction of their duty."

... although you may not be a racist yourself, you are being hoodwinked into supporting a political party, who if they ever got into power, would cause friction between the different races living in Britain. By having members belonging to charity groups wouldn't change a thing. If Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, and the entire Ku Klux Klan were allied to Oxfam, they would still be racists and fascists.

A DISCUSSION on faith, ethics and justice in the modern world will be held at Swindon Moravian Church on Dixon Street. The church hosts monthly meetings and the next one, on February 9, is titled Israel, Palestine and Us. Rosemary Power, who is set to visit Palestine, will host the discussion.

THE Swindon branch of a campaign against the introduction of ID cards is moving up a gear. Swindon No2ID has enlisted the support of former Swindon MP Lord Stoddart. Lynda Warren, of Broad Hinton, who is the local contact for the group, said: "Lord Stoddart has remained true to his principles of freedom and civil liberty.
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On Thursday, January 26 the issue is due to be discussed by Swindon Council and a motion that day calls for the council to oppose the use of ID cards for access for public services.
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During the debate this week Lord Stoddart said: "If we are not careful, we may be throwing money away. "We may spend billions of pounds in starting a scheme that has been agreed to by only one political party, which may not be in government for much longer than a few years. We know all about cost overruns. The NHS computer programme was estimated to cost £1bn and is now estimated to cost £30bn. We are also made aware virtually every day of the costs of the Child Support Agency. It now costs the Treasury hundreds of millions of pounds every year to run."

According to Mr Scott I want the BNP banned, which he says is undemocratic. I agree, I have never said the BNP should be banned. However, the law should be enforced and where BNP members break the law for example inciting racial hatred they should be prosecuted. What is more, should the BNP contest elections then I would like to see all the other parties including the UKIP working their hardest to ensure that the BNP is defeated at the ballot box.

Tony Blair last week launched his "respect agenda" aimed at tackling anti-social behaviour, and chose to illustrate his campaign by hosing graffiti off a wall at the Toothill Village Centre. But only a few days later the wall was covered in graffiti once again, with some frank replies to Mr Blair's anti-yob plan. What could Mr Blair be saying to Anne Snelgrove, Swindon South MP, as he attempts to clear graffiti off the wall? Enter your captions in the comments box below. A selection of the best will be published throughout the day.

A TEENAGER who set fire to a mosque and daubed racist graffiti on other religious buildings will have to wait a month to learn his fate. A judge has decided that further reports are needed on the youth. The 16-year-old set light to a window at the Jamia Mosque on Broad Street on Tuesday October 4 the day after the Ramadan festival started. He also daubed racist graffiti and swastikas on the mosque and Sikh Temple on Kembrey Street in September and October.

It took little more than 48 hours for the yobs to deliver their riposte to Tony Blair's "respect" agenda, scrawling it in obscene graffiti all over the very wall he cleaned. On Tuesday, in a blaze of publicity, Mr Blair arrived in Swindon to announce a raft of eye-catching initiatives on anti-social behaviour and "respect".

BLAIR doing community work in Swindon . . . and so he should. Considering all the rubbish he has inflicted upon us he should be made to do more. All he and his cronies can do is heap the blame on the youngsters who instinctively know when they and their families are being badly treated and react accordingly. And why all the security? I thought I remember him saying he wants to meet the people.

IF MP George Galloway gets out of the Big Brother house unscathed, he has a date at the Wyvern Theatre Swindon.
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He takes the stage at the Wyvern on Saturday, March 4 to talk about his life and beliefs and invite questions from the audience.

The Department of Constitutional Affairs has now recommended giving local authorities powers to impose fines of £2,500 if you do not have an ID card. This is despite the Government saying that the cards would be voluntary.

TONY Blair today used a high-profile visit to Swindon to warn yobs and neighbours from hell they can be booted out of their own homes for at least three months.
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When asked why he had chosen to come to Swindon, Mr Blair said: "It's a good example of where anti-social measures have been put in place, and we have to take it further." He was surrounded by onlookers as he cleared a section of wall of graffiti, before going inside the community centre to speak with residents.

[webmonkey's note: This "high profile" publicity stunt was not announced in advance. Was Mr Blair afraid that dissenters might turn up?]

I HAVE been reading in your paper with great alarm, that the BNP intends to stand candidate/s in Swindon in future elections, and according to one of your readers who has written a letter to the Swindon Advertiser (SA Jan 2), they have already been distributing misleading propaganda about immigrants and Muslims in Britain.

Family man Dave spent Christmas at home in Shrivenham with his wife, Jayne, and their four children. But now it is back to business in Afghanistan for the 36-year-old member of the Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment. Officially, the conflict part of the "War on Terror" ended in 2001 with the defeat of the ruling Taliban. But there is still unrest in the country and before Christmas a member of the RGBW was killed while on patrol in the north of the country. Dave says the 30 or so troops from Swindon need no reminding of the dangers.

I REFER to John Utting's letter and Mr Ing's in support and would like to say I have served in the Middle East. Mr Utting asks what does Mr Newman speak for? I hope it is out of concern for our forces as I do.
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On our veteran's badges it says HM Armed Forces. This stands for Her Majesty's, not Tony Blair's private army to get our troops killed, wounded, disabled, or blinded in an illegal war. If I thought that I could save just one of our service people by going and sitting on the top of the Town Hall Cenotaph, I would do it.

THE day after the Adver reported me saying a campaign would seek to prevent the BNP gaining a foothold in Swindon, BNP leaflets were pushed through my door. These leaflets made wildly inaccurate claims about there being 3, 000 "Muslim terrorists" in Britain, and are clearly aimed at whipping up mistrust and hatred.
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The Advertiser published the BNP's website address prominently on page 2 Perhaps you could also advertise the address of anti-BNP campaigners: www.stopthebnp.org.uk.