Letter: Who will join an identity parade?

Sir: It is nonsense to say that Michael Howard neutralised objections to a compulsory identification card by indicating that it would be voluntary (leading article, 14 October). Surely it is obvious that any compulsory card would be initially introduced as voluntary and then made compulsory when an adequate portion of the population had one. You make no mention of any government undertaking that the card would permanently remain voluntary. And given the present government's record on keeping promises, it would be worthless if if it did do so.

This measure is about information and the control of information. While we have a government that continues to keep tight control on its own information and extends its rights to pry on the ordinary citizen, the status of this country as a democracy is increasingly dubious.

Yours sincerely, IAN MILLER Cambridge 14 October