I AM pleased to follow the lively debate on the Letters pages about ID cards, which was started by Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate Andrew Waller.

The introduction of these concern me, with their potential loss of liberties and the huge cost involved.

Coun Blanchard is guilty of parroting New Labour dogma and York Labour Party is obviously in disarray with chairman Paul Kind refuting these statements. It would appear Tony Blair is also unclear on this issue.

At his party's conference in 1995, he said "instead of wasting hundreds of millions of pounds on compulsory ID cards as the Tory Right demand, let that money provide thousands of extra police officers on the beat in our local communities".

Is Blair trying to stir up a climate of fear in an attempt to copy George Bush's election campaign?

Audrey Winnett,

Newborough Street, York.

Updated: 11:44 Friday, January 14, 2005