I am viewing the accelerating push towards ID cards with some alarm. For a start, almost every despot in history has insisted upon them which suggests that the real benefits are not for the card carrying public but for those who wish to control them.

But is there much real opposition? Of course not. Instead we are treated to photo's of Posh's new 'look' (as alien as ever) while the Daily Mail reserves its energy for banning plastic bags from supermarkets. Talking about confusing one's priorities!

We should be a lot more concerned about ID cards. For a start, how does proving your identity have anything at all to do with keeping us safe from terrorism? It doesn't. It can't. We know who Osama bin Laden is, but we still can't catch him.

Also whereas nowadays you need several items of data to 'prove' who you are (utility bills, passport, driving licence etc.) soon you will need only one. Much easier to forge or to steal. So that means it will be easier for the criminally minded to prove they are someone else entirely.

Governments have an alarming ability to grasp the idea of unintended consequences. Just as they couldn't get their heads around the fact that having alcohol available all day and night would not reduce drunkeness, so they can't seem to grasp that ID cards are going to make it easier for criminals, terrorists etc to 'disappear' into the woodwork.

We should all be very afraid...........