Patrick Harvie MSP (Scottish Green Party) for Glasgow. Lists his strongest political interests as equality, peace, sustainable development, food culture, media & technology. He uses Linux at home, and has become more deeply interested in the issues of free media in an electronic age. Green speaker on Justice and Communities at the Scottish Parliament. Before being elected to Parliament he worked in the Gay Men's Services team of the sexual health agency PHACE Scotland. In 2004 he won the Scottish Politician of the Year, One to Watch Award.

Issues

Identity cards

Supporter of the NO2ID campaign. Proudly displays a NO2ID badge on his website. Strongly agrees that ID Cards and the National Identity Register are a threat to our privacy and civil liberties.

Successfully submitted a motion to the Scottish Parliament condemning the UK ID Cards Bill as flawed and an unacceptable threat to civil liberties. 24 Febuary 2005

Patrick Harvie said Home Office Ministers Running Scared Of Public Opinion 13 September 2005

"I'm not surprised that New Labour is so desperate to avoid any chance of meeting its critics. Support for biometrics and ID cards is falling rapidly as people find out the cost, the flaws in the scheme, and the risk to civil liberties. The Home Office isn't going out of its way to draw the public's attention to the roadshow - publicity is absolutely minimal. It's almost as if they didn't want anyone to turn up."

"It seems that even the Scottish Executive is being kept in the dark about the Home Office's plans - on calling the Executive I was told that they didn't know where and when the Home Office would be visiting Scotland. They cited security concerns, and said that the Home Office would keep the roadshow locations secret until the morning of each visit."

"The Home Office themselves were more forthcoming, and when I finally got through told me that the roadshow would be at the Gyle Shopping Centre in Edinburgh on Wednesday this week. The Home Secretary recently responded to the charge that ID cards are a step toward a 'Big Brother' society by saying that the Big Brother society was already here, and that his job was to control it."

"I think this would horrify most people - the Home Secretary's job should be to protect the freedoms and liberties to which people in a democracy are entitled, not to become the controller of a surveillance culture which turns us all into suspects. I'd urge everyone who agrees with me, to join the Home Office at the Gyle shopping centre, and tell them so in no uncertain terms."

Patrick Harvie MSP said Home Office admits overselling ID Cards 4th Aug 2005

"Whether you consider this scheme on the grounds of infringing civil liberties, the cost to the public purse, or the fact that it is likely to be ineffective and hugely bureaucratic, there is no escaping the fact that this is an unworkable proposal that will leave the law-abiding citizen out of pocket and subject to draconian invasion of privacy and erosion of basic rights."

"The minister today admitted he "oversold" the benefits of the scheme which begs the question, are there ANY advantages and what other aspects of the scheme have been exaggerated to make it more palatable? The majority of MSPs clearly have concerns about the scheme and public support for it has fallen dramatically - enough time has been wasted debating the scheme, let's scrap it and move on."

Patrick Harvie MSP said Urging Scots to continue to sign the No2ID pledge 19 July 2005

"Tony Blair started this term of government claiming that he had listened to the people of Britain – yet the growing opposition to the ID card scheme and the national identity register, including a vote in the Scottish Parliament, has so far fallen on deaf ears."

"Just last month we had an academic report, which the UK government unsuccessfully tried to discredit, highlighting the uncertainties of the scheme and warning that costs could well spiral up to £19 billion. There are huge question marks over the effectiveness of the scheme to prevent crime and fraud, and impact it will have on privacy and civil liberties."

"That citizens will be asked to fork out hundreds of pounds for the privilege of this unnecessary and costly infringement on their basic rights, really does show the staggering arrogance of New Labour. ID cards and the register are doomed to fail and I hope people will continue to sign the pledge and let their views be known."

Lots more quotes in the news section.

Children's Digital Rights

Submitted a motion to the Scottish Parliament

That the Parliament is deeply concerned that children in some Scottish schools are required to submit to fingerprinting to access school libraries; notes that school libraries have somehow managed to function for generations without needing to treat schoolchildren like criminals; believes that children should be taught in an environment which respects their autonomy and privacy and, indeed, encourages them to hold their civil liberties in high regard, and urges Scottish schools to reject the use of fingerprint systems.

Patrick Harvie MSP, Green Speaker on Justice and Communities, said

"I think many parents will be deeply shocked to learn that their children are being fingerprinted - apparently without their knowledge or consent in some cases - for something as simple as a library system. I cannot imagine any justification for such intrusive use of technology in schools - how many books would a library need to lose each year to even make this system save money?"

"We should be encouraging children to understand and value their civil liberties, but instead there is a danger that we will be teaching the next generation to surrender them without question. At the very minimum I would want an assurance that no school will go ahead with this system without a full and open debate with parents about the implications of fingerprinting, and no child should be fingerprinted without their parents' or guardians' consent."

The Scotsman - Concern over union call for school ID cards 27 December 2006

"There's a risk of creating environments which feel more like penal institutions than places of learning."

Aware off and has linked to www.leavethemkidsalone.com

Software Patents

Links to a European Greens Press Release on Software patents on his website.

Open Source

Open Source software 17 December 2003 Patrick Harvie said, "Open source software gives people and organisations real choices about how they use their computers - choices the big corporate players don't want you to have. You can already download these products free of charge, but having access to the CDs means that people who are a bit less confident downloading software can use them too."

Patrick Harvie also claimed that Scotland was missing a trick in not developing the potential of Open Source to the full. "The Parliament alone has spent nearly half a million pounds on licenses for its Microsoft products. Think what the cost must be for Government departments, health boards, police forces, local authorities… the list goes on. Other countries are realising that Open Source alternatives often provide more security, more flexibility and much greater value for money. By building an OS preference into public procurement policies, we could reap these benefits, and help build our Scottish IT skill base at the same time. Yet when I asked the Scottish Executive what it was doing to promote OS, all I got was a reference to a UK Government document - they appear to be doing nothing at all on this."

Written Answers on Open Source 8 September 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is in relation to the role of open source software in public sector IT procurement and what guidance it issues to public bodies on this matter.

OpenDocument

Written Answers on Open Source 8 September 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on the use of proprietary and non-proprietary document formats where such documents are to be made publicly available and what guidance it issues to public bodies on this matter.

DNA database

The Herold Labour plan to retain all DNA records held by police 28 December 2006

"Targeted retention of the DNA profiles of known high-risk individuals is justified, but putting millions of innocent people on the government's DNA database is unjustified."

Links

Patrick Harvie MSP website
Patrick Harvie MSP Wikipedia
Patrick Harvie MSP Scottish Parliament Profile
Patrick Harvie MSP Scottish Green Party Profile

News

2006-12-28 - The Herold - Labour plan to retain all DNA records held by police: Author: Douglas Fraser; Summary: Innocent people caught up in criminal inquiries would have their genetic and fingerprint details kept on file under Scottish Labour manifesto plans that have re-ignited the surveillance row. ... Patrick Harvie, the Greens' justice spokesman said the plan was unjustified, and goes against the "reasonable balance" struck at Holyrood earlier this year. "Targeted retention of the DNA profiles of known high-risk individuals is justified, but putting millions of innocent people on the government's DNA database is unjustified."

2006-12-27 - BBC - DNA database of suspects proposed: Summary: Proposals to allow the police to keep the DNA of all crime suspects, even if they are later proved innocent, have been announced by Labour leaders. ... Scottish Greens justice spokesman Patrick Harvie said it was unjustified to keep DNA samples from innocent people. The Glasgow MSP said: "Scotland struck a reasonable balance on DNA retention earlier this year, but Labour wants to abandon that." "Targeted retention of the DNA profiles of known high-risk individuals is justified, but putting millions of innocent people on the government's DNA database is unjustified, and unlikely to help combat crime."

2006-12-27 - BBC - ID card call to 'stop bullying': Summary: All secondary pupils in Scotland should be given ID cards in an effort to stamp out bullying, according to a teaching union. ... However, Green MSP Patrick Harvie said the suggestion was troubling. "We should be preparing young people for the reality of defending their privacy and civil liberties against ever-more intrusive government systems," he argued. "We've heard proposals for airport-style scanners and random drug testing in schools, fingerprinting is already in place in some schools. There's a risk of creating environments which feel more like penal institutions than places of learning. "These ID cards will do absolutely nothing to address the causes of bullying. Instead they will teach the next generation that an ID card culture is 'normal', and that they should have to prove their entitlement to services."

2006-12-27 - The Scotsman - Concern over union call for school ID cards: Author: Kevin Schofield; Summary: A teaching union was last night accused of attempting to turn Scotland's secondary schools into prisons after calling for pupils to be issued with photographic identity cards. ... Patrick Harvie, the Green MSP, last night described the SSTA proposals as "deeply troubling". Mr Harvie, who has spoken out over the fingerprinting of primary pupils and the introduction of biometric palm scanners in school canteens, said "There's a risk of creating environments which feel more like penal institutions than places of learning."

2006-12-27 - The Herald - Teachers call for picture ID cards in secondaries: Author: Andrew Denhold; Summary: Teachers have put themselves on a collision course with civil rights groups by calling for all secondary school pupils to be given photo ID cards. ... Patrick Harvie, the Green MSP added: "The idea of young people preparing for the reality of identity management sounds deeply troubling - we should be preparing young people for the reality of defending their privacy and civil liberties against ever more intrusive government systems." "We've heard proposals for airport-style scanners and random drug testing in schools, fingerprinting is already in place in some schools - there's a risk of creating environments which feel more like penal institutions than places of learning." "These ID cards will do absolutely nothing to address the causes of bullying - instead they will teach the next generation that an ID-card culture is normal, and that they should have to prove their entitlement to services."

2006-09-22 - Patrick Harvie Website - Greens Condemn Fingerprinting In Nurseries: Author: Patrick Harvie MSP; Summary: Greens today expressed grave concern that at least one Scottish council is using fingerprinting technology in nurseries. Green MSPs revealed last week that fingerprinting systems are operating in various schools across Scotland, and there are concerns that in some cases prior parental consent may not have been obtained. Falkirk Council is now rolling a fingerprinting system out to nurseries to check identity of children borrowing library books. It is apparently already operating in at least one council-run nursery. Greens argue that using such technology is an unnecessary expense, could potentially breach of human rights and teaches children to accept intrusive data collection from an early age. ...

2006-09-12 - Scottish Green Party - Fingerprinting Kids In Scottish Schools Revealed: Summary: It has been revealed following an alert from concerned parents to Green MSPs, that the practice of fingerprinting schoolchildren as young as 5 years old, in some cases without parental consent, is being introduced to a number of Scottish schools as part of a high tech biometric ID system to access school libraries. Greens have called for the practice to be investigated and have submitted a series of questions to demand answers from the Scottish Executive on the matter. ... Patrick Harvie MSP, Green Speaker on Justice and Communities, said: "I think many parents will be deeply shocked to learn that their children are being fingerprinted - apparently without their knowledge or consent in some cases - for something as simple as a library system. I cannot imagine any justification for such intrusive use of technology in schools - how many books would a library need to lose each year to even make this system save money? "We should be encouraging children to understand and value their civil liberties, but instead there is a danger that we will be teaching the next generation to surrender them without question. At the very minimum I would want an assurance that no school will go ahead with this system without a full and open debate with parents about the implications of fingerprinting, and no child should be fingerprinted without their parents' or guardians' consent."

2006-01-12 - Patrick Harvie Website - Sad day for human rights in Scotland: Author: Patrick Harvie MSP; Summary: Human rights are one of the fundamental building blocks of our society. So wrote the Scottish Executive when it published its consultation paper on the possibility of creating a Scottish Human Rights Commission. ... From detention without trial to the spread of CCTV into every corner of society; from CIA rendition flights to inhumane and degrading prison conditions; from compulsory ID cards to the police power to disperse groups of two or more people; our human rights are in real need of defence. ... So I was deeply disappointed, as were many people in Scotland, at the recent announcement that the Scottish Human Rights Centre was to close its doors for the last time, having finally fallen off the financial tightrope.

2005-09-13 - Patrick Harvie Website - Home Office Ministers Running Scared Of Public Opinion: Author: Patrick Harvie MSP; Summary: Executive kept in dark over ID card sales roadshow. "I'm not surprised that New Labour is so desperate to avoid any chance of meeting its critics. Support for biometrics and ID cards is falling rapidly as people find out the cost, the flaws in the scheme, and the risk to civil liberties."

2005-08-04 - Patrick Harvie Website - Home Office admits overselling ID Cards: Author: Patrick Harvie MSP; Summary: Greens have repeated their call for the proposed national ID card scheme to be scrapped following an admission by the minister responsible for the project that the government "oversold" the benefits. ... Patrick Harvie MSP said, "Whether you consider this scheme on the grounds of infringing civil liberties, the cost to the public purse, or the fact that it is likely to be ineffective and hugely bureaucratic, there is no escaping the fact that this is an unworkable proposal that will leave the law-abiding citizen out of pocket and subject to draconian invasion of privacy and erosion of basic rights." "The minister today admitted he "oversold" the benefits of the scheme which begs the question, are there ANY advantages and what other aspects of the scheme have been exaggerated to make it more palatable? The majority of MSPs clearly have concerns about the scheme and public support for it has fallen dramatically - enough time has been wasted debating the scheme, let's scrap it and move on."

2005-07-19 - Patrick Harvie Website - No2ID reaches 10,000 pledge target: Author: Patrick Harvie MSP; Summary: Over 10,000 people have now registered their opposition to ID cards with the campaign group No2ID, signalling the growing momentum against a "draconian and costly" project that Green MSPs claim "is doomed to fail". No2ID appealed for 10,000 signatures by October 9 2005, and for each signatory to pledge £10 towards a legal defence fund. Achieving the target months ahead of schedule indicates the growing scepticism and unease with the proposals. Urging Scots to continue to sign the No2ID pledge, Green MSP Patrick Harvie, said, "Tony Blair started this term of government claiming that he had listened to the people of Britain – yet the growing opposition to the ID card scheme and the national identity register, including a vote in the Scottish Parliament, has so far fallen on deaf ears." ...

2005-07-01 - The Herald - Green MSP Signs Pledge: Summary: Scottish Green Party MSP Patrick Harvie - party speaker on justice - has written a letter to The Herald declaring that he has signed the pledge and calling on others to do the same. Harvie says "The most serious concern lies not with the piece of plastic, but with the vast database that will record information and steadily build on it over our lifetimes. As a result, personal information about us will no longer be under our own control, but under the state's."

2005-06-16 - BBC - Executive repeats ID card pledge: Summary: The finance minister has repeated his pledge that identity cards will not be needed to access devolved services. Green MSP Patrick Harvie said Mr McCabe had avoided answering detailed points on use of a national identity database, which was the major part of the system. Mr Harvie said the database was a "real threat" to civil liberties.

2005-06-16 - Patrick Harvie Website - Executive ducks the ID issue: Author: Patrick Harvie MSP; Summary: Patrick Harvie MSP, said: "The Minister tells us that he has been 'clear all along' about the use of ID cards for accessing devolved services. But the motion agreed by Parliament called for a statement not on the cards, but on the National Identity Register – the database – and its use by devolved institutions. Given that this statement today is a response to that call, it is perhaps surprising that only one paragraph of an eight page statement relates to the database." "None of the serious concerns about the use of the database have been addressed – nothing on function creep, nothing on data sharing, nothing on the presumption of accuracy – a huge problem given that much smaller, simpler systems such as NI numbers and driving licences are riddled with inaccuracies – nothing on the fact that individuals will be required to pay for the privilege of having inaccurate information corrected." "And nothing on the question of how and in what circumstances devolved institutions will use their new ability to access information on the register. Just the repeated line – ID cards will not be used to access devolved services. Yet the Minster tells us that he can give “no more solid assurance” about his approach to the scheme. I think he could if he tried. We need a clear commitment that no public services will be affected by the information on the database, and we need to know that the most restrictive possible approach will be taken to the whole scheme."

2005-06-13 - Patrick Harvie Website - ID Cards pledge campaign: Author: Patrick Harvie MSP; Summary: A copy of a message sent to the no2id-supporters list.

2005-05-19 - Patrick Harvie Website - ID Cards commitment at last: Author: Patrick Harvie MSP; Summary: A commitment by the First Minister today to respect Parliament's wishes for an Executive statement to MSPs on ID card legislation before the summer recess has been welcomed by the Greens. It follows the inclusion of ID cards legislation in the Queen’s speech earlier this week and a Green-led vote by Parliament in February demanding an Executive statement on the use of the scheme’s national identity database. Patrick Harvie MSP, Green Speaker on Justice, who pressed Jack McConnell at First Minister's Questions today, said, "I am very glad that the Executive will respect the decision taken by Parliament – though it has taken a fair bit of pushing from Greens to secure that commitment." "The use of the national identity register - the vast database which will share personal data across government departments without individuals’ consent - is the real threat to civil liberties. The Labour Party seems determined to wire us all up to this system, and we will continue to match that with our determination to protect civil liberties and spend public money on things people need such as schools, hospitals and a decent transport system." Patrick Harvie added, "Liberal Democrats abstained from the vote in February, arguing that a single word gave them an excuse not to support it. The First Minister's announcement today shows why it is more important to build cross party agreement on the concerns we all share, rather than seek an excuse to not work together in the public interest."

2005-05-17 - Patrick Harvie Website - ID cards raise their ugly head again: Author: Patrick Harvie MSP; Summary: The Executive should immediately deliver a statement to Parliament on the use of the national identity database ... Patrick Harvie, Green Glasgow MSP, who led the Greens’ debate in February today said, "The Executive has so far ignored the will of Parliament by failing to deliver a statement, despite repeated requests. This is becoming increasingly urgent as legislation looks set to be pushed through Westminster in the coming months. Will ministers now listen to the will of the Parliament and object to the introduction of this flawed scheme?" "In terms of civil liberties, this scheme threatens to set Britain back decades. The ID card and national database scheme is seriously flawed, will be extremely costly and will not tackle terrorism. On the issue of benefit fraud, it is little more than a distraction from the billions that go unclaimed every year. Once introduced, who knows how future governments will use the database."

2005-02-25 - The Register - Scottish Parliament lines up against ID scheme: Author: John Lettice; Summary: The Scottish Parliament yesterday condemned the UK ID Cards Bill as flawed and an unacceptable threat to civil liberties, leaving the legal position of the ID scheme largely unchanged but positioning it as a live election issue north of the border. The vote suggests that the Scottish Executive's 'kinder, gentler ID' policy may not be enough. ... he motion itself was moved by Green MSP Patrick Harvie

2005-02-24 - Patrick Harvie Website - Greens bring ID card debate to Parliament: Author: Patrick Harvie MSP; Summary: ID Cards will undermine half a century of civil liberties. Patrick Harvie MSP, Green Speaker on Justice and Communities, said: "Fifty three years ago, the UK abolished identity cards, which had slowly crept into many areas of life. Labour's new bill is a backward step which offers no real benefit to our society." "The politics of fear have been used to convince people that ID cards are needed. In reality, they will offer no protection against terrorism. The argument about benefit fraud is a mere distraction - the Government should be more concerned about ensuring that the benefits people are entitled to are actually claimed." "The cost, at £5.5 billion and rising is a waste of money and there is little evidence that the scheme would work effectively in any of the ways that its proponents suggest. We can only guess at the final cost." "It is unacceptable that the government has exacerbated and exploited public fears over terrorism, crime and public service abuse to justify ID card introduction."

2004-10-28 - Patrick Harvie Website - Wanted: ID Card spin doctor - Big Issue article: Author: Patrick Harvie MSP; Summary: If you’re a regular reader you will know that I’ve indulged myself in the occasional rant against David Blunkett’s scheme for a National ID Card. I believe that the scheme is unnecessary, unproven, wildly expensive, and will erode our basic freedoms ...

2004-10-12 - Patrick Harvie Website - US Authorities launch attack on Indymedia: Author: Patrick Harvie MSP; Summary: Mentions to the Indymedia Server Takedown

2003-12-18 - The Register - OpenOffice CDs live for lending in Scottish libraries: Author: John Lettice; Summary: OpenOffice CDs are becoming available for lending at 415 out of 507 public libraries in Scotland, and the activist responsible, Bob Kerr, is busily packing up more CDs to send to what he estimates represents around 60 per cent of libraries in the UK as a whole. But it's the process rather than the coup itself that is most interesting - by dint of listening to libraries and trying to understand and solve their problems, Kerr has identified mechanisms and routes that can be used to get Free Software into libraries, and indeed that give it positive advantages over proprietary software in the area. ... Glasgow Green MSP Patrick Harvie has welcomed the move, and is taking an interest in the top-down side. He says that the Scottish Parliament alone has spent over half a million pounds on Microsoft software, and calls for an OS preference to be built into public procurement policies. To The Register's knowledge there are at least several other MSPs of this frame of mind, so it might just happen in Scotland, one day.

2003-12-13 - Patrick Harvie Website - Open Source software: Author: Patrick Harvie MSP; Summary: Greens welcome ‘Open Source’ as software freedom hits Scottish libraries. Patrick Harvie today welcomed the donation of hundreds of Open Source software CDs for libraries across Scotland. 415 out of Scotland’s 507 public libraries in Scotland have accepted the CDs for use where borrowers can get hold of computer software for free.