HERE we go again. We have a Labour Party councillor and prospective Parliamentary candidate, Paul Blanchard, stating that a new tax in the shape of ID cards is good for everyone.

He distorts the truth about support from the Conservatives and the mention of 80 per cent support in a recent poll and also the effectiveness of such a scheme.

The "recent" poll took place months ago, before the full implications were known.

The Conservatives are only supporting the ID bill in principle and have expressed grave misgivings about the cost, workability and effectiveness of such a system, as well as infringement into areas that the people of the UK have always held paramount above the bossiness, nosiness and sheer hypocrisy of a Government which clearly does not practice what it preaches.

Just think of the "lies" about weapons of mass destruction to take us into the difficult if not doomed invasion of Iraq; the closure of post office branches; disdain for pensioners; people held indefinitely without trial; the great haste to shred emails ahead of the so- called Freedom of Information Act; and no UK bill of rights or written constitution.

Paul Blanchard mentions the cost with a huge pinch of salt - as is usual with the "Blairite-to-the-right" Labour Party.

A huge amount of salt is needed indeed to help swallow some of what comes out of the Labour spin machine.

After David Blunkett's refusal to publish the true costs of the ID scheme, one can only guess at the cost (£6 billion, £10 billion, £15 billion?).

The UK tax payer is already being squeezed and we can all look forward to Labour's new tax wheeze to help fill the £10 billion hole in the economy (largely thanks to Iraq).

Tom Scaife,

Manor Drive North,

York.

Updated: 09:46 Tuesday, January 04, 2005