The Stand, an activist site that helps Britons get in touch with their Members of Parliament, has been dealt a terrible blow by Beverley Hughes. Hughes is a Minister who is characterizing the 5,000 letters sent to Parliament through the Stand protesting the National ID Card plan as a single letter against, which doesn't stack up against the 2,000 letters sent in favor of the proposal. Danny O'Brien's written an open letter to Hughes:
In order to solicit opinions from a wider base than previously, we put together a link between the Web and your consultation email address (and, for good measure, let people contact their local MP on the matter). We publicised it in a few areas where people who are online a lot tend to gather.
We felt that most people using our service would be against the ID card – but not exclusively. We wanted people who felt that the ID card was a good idea should also have a say. Accordingly, we allowed people to write whatever they wanted using our system. And so, as far as we can gather, they did.
Now we hear that you are viewing all of those separately considered opinions as one collective petition.
