Identity cards
Sir: Mn. Clements (Letters, 16 December) is surely quite right — identity cards are not the answer to terrorism and illegal immigration, particularly in an age of freedom of movement. Even in a period of strict controls such as wartime they are of problematic value when the first rule of security is to suspect the individual who is impeccably documented. Honest citizens do not carry identity papers every time they step out of their houses; smugglers, spies and terrorists see to it they have all the right papers and this turns forgery into a growth industry.
In this age of account cards, bank cards, credit cards and all the other paper with which we have to clog our minds, identity documents can only feed the computer and irritate the citizen and confound confusion.
Is it not a final insult to the dignity of man if the identity of the individual is to depend on a piece of paper rather than his own word?
Patrick Martin-Smith 28 Vicar's Close, Victoria Park, London E9
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