THE House of Lords is about to vote on amendments to the ID Cards Bill.
It is generally believed the strategy that Conservative and Lib Dem Lords will take on the Report Stage of the bill will be to amend the bill to remove compulsion.
It is unlikely they will vote against the bill completely as it was in New Labour's manifesto at the last election.
I wish to encourage all members of the public to lobby the House of Lords prior to the vote taking place. Here are a few key points to bear in mind when lobbying members of the House of Lords:
l Stress the constitutional importance of the bill.
l Encourage peers to vote to curtail the register powers.
l Encourage peers to vote against compulsion (in the government's manifesto they promised a voluntary introduction so those applying for passports or other documents should not be forced to have an ID card).
l Encourage peers to contact Liberty, The Freedom Association, Joint Council for Welfare of Immigrants, The Law Society, Justice, National Assembly Against Racism, and other organisations who can provide them with more information about the bill.
JAKE LONG, Whalley Road, Accrington.
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