IT seems that David Blunkett, the Home Secretary, has shot himself in the foot by sticking the cost of an ID card on to the price of a passport, which will triple in price. Suddenly there will be a huge drop in support for these Big Brother cards.

Hasn't Mr Blunkett learned that there is one sure way to make the great British public squeal? It is to hit them where it hurts: their wallets.

I note that Mr Blunkett still has not come up with a figure for these cards. What will it be, £3 billion, £5 billion or £10 billion?

The sum of £3 billion would put another 2,000 police officers on the beat for the next ten years.

Isn't that the way to fight crime, instead of putting innocent people on to a huge data base?

K Chapman,

South Drive,

Harrogate.

Updated: 09:42 Monday, November 24, 2003