I'm not a number

Why is the Government so obsessed by ID cards? They seem to think it is the panacea for many ills. Terrorism/illegal immigration/benefit fraud/ID theft are all supposed to be tackled by this magic card.

The Madrid bombings were not stopped by ID cards. Biometric passports will be available, and a better way to tackle illegal immigration would be to have effective border controls. National insurance numbers are there to stop benefit fraud. I can't think of a better way to achieve ID theft than having everyone's complete details on one computer system - what a target for the thieves!

The latest cost of the ID card scheme is £5.7 billion. With the Government's record on IT systems, it will be late and double that at completion. OK, let's be generous and say it's £10 billion, what else could be bought with that? How many police officers could be funded with that money? Over 300,000 for a year or 50,000 for six years. That should help more to tackle the aforementioned problems.

I completely disagree with the changes being made to the bond of trust between Government and populace. I should not need a card to prove who I am, as Ian Brown said 'I ain't no number'.

Squiffy.