I suppose this is what the "10 Downing Street" E-Petitions site is all about: not only they know who you are (and probably where you live), but they can write back to you to tell you how good war, surveillance and tyranny really are.

I won't bore you with Tony's entire missive -- here are just a few interesting lines:

In contrast to these exaggerated figures, the real benefits for our country and its citizens from ID cards and the National Identity Register, which will contain less information on individuals than the data collected by the average store card, should be delivered for a cost of around £3 a year over its ten-year life.

(my emphasis)

Last time I was offered a store card was at Marks and Spencer's. I accepted the offer (although I've never used it again) because it reduced the cost of the suit that I was buying. I don't remember having my fingerprints taken. Nor were my irises scanned. And, as far as I remember, they didn't threaten to put me in prison if I didn't accept it.