William Cash MP

William 'Bill' Cash, Conservative MP For Stone; Chairman of the European Scrutiny Committee

Career

Conservative MP for Stone (since 1984). Served as Shadow Attorney General.

Issues

Digital Economy

“ I have been reading material from the Open Rights Group, the Internet Service Providers Association, the BPI, which represents the UK recorded music business, and others...I believe that it is wrong to pass laws that will be ignored. As I described, people simply refused to accept restrictions on freedom of printing, and the same is true of freedom of expression and freedom of speech.”[1]

Identity cards

A passionate opponent of the ID Card bill. Continued to vote against it even when Conservatives agreed to a compromise over the bill

Bill Cash MP said: "The Bill should be excoriated and put in the dustbin. I shall not support it under any circumstances whatsoever."

House of Commons debates Identity Cards Bill 13 February 2006

... the provisions in the Bill are inimical to the principles and liberties on which this country has been built. We do not have state control or a police state, but this Bill is the beginning of such arrangements. Ministers know that to be the case, although they are camouflaging it under a range of matters, including terrorism and state security. In essence, they are giving away the fundamental liberties of the people of this country and that is why we should oppose all the measures in this Bill.

Electronic Voting

Quoted in the Guardian July 2003 saying

"We support measures to increase turnout, but we are concerned that there are insufficient safeguards, in these postal voting and e-voting schemes, against election fraud."

Postal voting must be secret and secure 3 June 2003 Mr Cash said: "It is vital that transparent safeguards remain in place to reassure the public that postal voting is secret and secure."

Put forward the following Clause

'No pilot may include any use of voting electronically by computer, mobile telephone, SMS, text or any other form of e-voting.'.

Tried to amend the law so that

making arrangements for the
inspection of ballot papers or electronic voting to ascertain whether there if evidence (even where no allegation has been made to that effect) of personation or other electoral offences or malpractice.'.


Prior Career

Solicitor (in public/administrative law).


Education

History at Oxford before converting to Law.


Other

Founder of the European Foundation, a eurosceptic organisation founded during the Maastricht Rebellion.[2] Euroscepticism a strong political theme.


Contact Information

House of Commons, Westminster, London SW1A 0AA; mcconaloguej@parliament.uk; 01462 811449.


Links

News

2006-02-14 - The Guardian - Staving off execution by ID
Author: Simon Hoggart
Summary: We moved on to the debate on the identity cards bill. ... Bill Cash, a passionate opponent of the bill, who talked about "the building blocks of compulsion ... they are the building blocks of George Orwell's Ministry of Truth!" he declared.
2006-02-13 - The Times - Westminster live: ID card vote
Author: Sam Coates
Summary: As the debate began Bill Cash, a right wing Tory MP, said that the Identity Card Bill contained the "building blocks to George Orwell’s Ministry of Truth". Mr Cash’s colourful intervention aside, it seems very unlikely the Government will lose the key vote on whether people must buy ID cards along with passports. The Government concessions - described by one as a "20 per cent" concession - look enough to buy off much of the opposition.
2004-12-21 - BBC - ID cards plans pass first hurdle
Summary: ... Former Tory front bencher Bill Cash said there was still "very deep" disquiet among senior Tories. He brandished a copy of George Orwell's 1984 as he told MPs the plans would bring a "sea change" in the relationship between state and citizens.
2004-12-21 - The Times - Clarke condemns the 'Luddites' over identity cards opposition
Author: Greg Hurst
Summary: Bill Cash, the Tory MP for Stone who disagreed with his own party’s backing for the Bill, brandished a copy of George Orwell’s 1984 as he argued that it represented a sea change in the relationship between the individual and the State
2004-12-20 - The Times - Howard faces ID card rebellion by a third of Tory MPs
Author: Richard Allen
Summary: Michael Howard is facing the biggest backbench rebellion of his leadership as up to one third of Conservative MPs are expected defy the party whip on ID cards in the Commons tonight. More than 50 out of a total of 163 Tory members were expected to stay away from the vote in an embarrassing snub to their party leader, who is supporting the government-led Bill. Bill Cash, the former Shadow Attorney-General, said he believed that disquiet over ID cards was "very deep" among senior Tories. "There are former Cabinet ministers who have expressed serious reservations and, indeed, also members of the Shadow Cabinet, according to reports," Mr Cash told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. "I think there will be significant resistance to these proposals."
2004-12-20 - The Guardian - Clarke makes case for ID cards
Author: Matthew Tempest
Summary: The new home secretary, Charles Clarke, tonight said false identities were used in a third of terrorist offences as he attempted to minimise any revolt against the government's controversial plans for ID cards. ... On the Tory benches, the former shadow attorney general Bill Cash, along with others, has already made his opposition clear, while the Liberal Democrats are united in opposing the measure. ... Mr Cash said he believed disquiet over ID cards was "very deep" among senior Tories. He denounced the Labour government as "intensely authoritarian" and said it was creating "increasingly a Big Brother society".
2003-07-31 - The Guardian - All-postal voting 'should be norm' in local polls
Author: Matthew Tempest
Summary: Earlier today, the Conservatives raised concerns that new voting methods may make elections more open to fraud. The Tory spokesman for constitutional affairs, Bill Cash, said: "We support measures to increase turnout, but we are concerned that there are insufficient safeguards, in these postal voting and e-voting schemes, against election fraud.
2003-06-03 - Conservative Party - Postal voting must be secret and secure
Summary: Shadow Attorney General Bill Cash has stressed the importance of secrecy being maintained and safeguarded during the expansion of postal voting in the UK. Mr Cash said: "It is vital that transparent safeguards remain in place to reassure the public that postal voting is secret and secure."
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