I was heartened to read the comments of Barrie Hudson (SA, September 1) regarding the Government's disastrous proposed ID card system and the National Identity Register.

He has highlighted the concerns of so many people across Swindon and the country as a whole.

At a time when our public services are under constant pressure to do more and where outsourcing of IT systems to far flung parts of the world is common place, his comments illustrate some stark examples of how this database could represent a danger to us all.

The fact is, none of us know where our data will be accessible, who will be able to access it and for what purpose.

I do hope that the Labour MP's meeting will be an opportunity to have a thorough and open debate on the subject.

However, I must admit that I, for one, shall not be getting my hopes up. It would have been much better for the MP to have held such a meeting and consulted her constituents before she showed such support for this Act .

Also, a public meeting is not truly public if it is by invitation only. Not only do ID cards and the NIR present a threat to our freedoms, but they are also a blind alley when it comes to the fight against crime.

R Buckland.

Conservative Parliamentary Candidate, South Swindon