Card madness

IN Friday’s Evening News (November 26), Ian Woodhead of the Lothian and Borders Police Federation argued in favour of compulsory national identity cards.

I found the following line to be particularly chilling: "If we are going to go down the route of having national identity cards, then surely we should be expected to carry them with us."

Even David Blunkett has said it will not be compulsory to carry the cards. Yet before the Bill has even been discussed in Parliament we have a senior member of the Police Federation supporting compulsion to carry.

Once "everyone has one" it will become politically impossible for any government to resist such calls.

Whatever Mr Blunkett says today, I believe that if compulsory ID cards are introduced, then within a few years we will be required to carry them at all times.

I believe that the police will have the power to stop anyone at any time and demand production of an ID card.

Is that really the sort of society in which we want to live?

Trevor Mendham, NO2ID Scotland Co-ordinator, Maxwell Street, Edinburgh