I saw recently that one of the greatest proponents of ID cards (Neil Kinnock) is on the board of the company that will make them, is anyone suprised!?

They call it corruption over here in Thailand!

Andrew Munn, Bangkok, Thailand

Great idea on the opium, but there are no commercial solutions to Ahmedinejad : this guy’s beyond venality ; he’s driven by a messianic hatred against Israel. Ask Kouchner and Blair for wisdom on this one, but Ezekiel 38 suggests there ain’t gonna be no easy answer.
PS
If you lived in Walsall, you might understand why we would welcome the introduction of ID cards.

Anth, Walsall,

The only answer is for 49 million people plus to say NO to ID cards. The road to ID cards is the beginning of the road to nowhere.

Unbelievable that the government should think that the people of this country should give up the way of life fought for by our ancestors in WW2. Big up to George Galloway,Nick Clegg and Shirley Williams amongst many who will refuse an ID card.

Well done to the new Australian government for seeing sense and abandoning their ID scheme.

John , Chatham,

Is Anotole pitching for Alister 's old Job?

R James, Clifton, UK

'Most people want ID cards?' I think not, Mr Goddard. No one I know is clamouring for them to be introduced. Best forget about this ridiculous Blairite idea along with all his other follies that have cost this country so dear. Be your own man Mr. Brown and remember Britons never, never will be slaves!

Brian, Liverpool,

Anatole,

You are wrong: most English people want ID cards, they will make every day life simpler and allow us to travel within the EU without passports: this is good.

You are also wrong in saying ID cards have to be carried in Germany and France: they do not, although most people carry them as you would carry your credit cards or driving licence because it makes like simpler: this is good.

You should check your facts before writing: ID cards are not mandatory in France, but they are free and who in their right mind would not accept a free document that simplifies life and allows one to travel unhindered throughout the Union?

Why not make a new year resolution to be a bit more positive about Europe and talk of the benefits instead of inciting people to be against everything?

Peter Goddard, Epsom, England, EU

Yes, Germans over the age of 16 are required by law to carry ID with them at all times.

Inga, Karlsruhe, Germany

"you must state publicly that Britain will pull its soldiers out of Basra and will oppose any military attack by either America or Israel on Iran. The logical consequence of such a policy would be to encourage" an Israeli attack on Iran, which might well make use of nuclear weapons.
AK has a strange blind spot where the Middle East is concerned. Iran boasts of having 3000 centrifuges, and members of the regime have said publicly they think they can win a nuclear war with Israel.
Then again, I doubt if Israel or the US cares what Gordon thinks.

Gareth, Cardiff,

Those, like Anatole Kaletsky, who claim that the 2007 European "Treaty" is the same animal as the 2005 "Constitution" should answer the following two questions:-

1. Why are the French and Dutch governments flagrantly flouting the two "NO" referendum verdicts of 2005?

2. Why are the voters in those two countries not in open revolt over this rejection of their democratic decision?

Could it be that they are NOT in fact, the same animal?

arnoldo, Coventry,

Rob, I agree with you that all we need to do is give him some more rope, but by the time the next election rolls round we will have a) subsumed yet more of our freedom to choose and rights to the EU b) had our DNA taken for unwanted ID cards at a cost of billions whether we like it or not c) had the government promptly lose control of that information leaving fraudsters to impersonate us at an almost irrefutable level d) probably gone into recession. And there's bugger all we can do about it in the meantime. I despise Brown and this government; I hate their arrogance, deceit and incompetence. Anatole Kalensky for PM!

Cat, London,

Very True. Mr Brown has been micro-managing the economy every since Dear Leader Tony and tgheir closet 'Pseudo-Marxist Crew' got into office. Mr Brown was part of "Team B'Liar", so as they say - 'Mud Sticks'.

Pa Mc Broone is still micro-managing the economy even though we have a enw Chancellor in the guise of 'Baldrick' Darling becuase ven he has 'No cunning Plan' becuase its all Pa McBroone's.

AS for more reforms of the public sector - why? How many 'refors' must the public sector go through whilst this bunch of neo-controlfreaks 'fiddle' whilst the UK falls even lower down the chain of Western economies. Mr Brown will soon have to go cap in hand to the IMF like one of his Labour predecessors way back in the 1970s to get bail-out loans!!

Mr Brown reflects all that is wrong within the Senior Management of UK Public Sector -- proffessional incompetence, and they are proud of this!! They get large bonuses for Failure!

B Clarke, Chelmsford, England UK

Mr. Kaletsky, has it taken enlightened ones, the likes of you, all this time, to suddenly wake up to the disillusion of this Great ex Iron Chancellor , when we mere mortal voters have been proclaiming it all along?
We have the Incompetent media to thank for our Incompetent Mr Brown.
2008 will be the Year of the Great Incompetence.

John Maynard, Kent, UK

The Newspapers are full of commentators encouraging Gordon, telling him how to change his tactics, policies, vision, suits and breakfast cereal. It comes to the point where we believe that Gordon coming good is more to do with the careers of the commentators than good governance in Britain, more to do with analytical reputations than the competence and well-being of the state. We saw it in Polly Toynbee the other day which sparked off a support fest from Andrew Rawnsley, now Brother Kaletsky joins the club. These writers have lived through a time of certainty that required no intellectual analysis. Labour’s vast majority, a golden period of world financial stability, fountains of public cash, sit back and pen emollient eulogies, a steady feed of insider guff; entrees and chat show appearances ensue. Labour's inviolability induced scoffing, 'I told you so loomed large'. The panic in their pens is self-evident now that Brown is down and certainty has wilted, so much for insight.

Malcolm Turner, Alsager, England

"In the year ahead, there is a simple way to improve this dire situation: you must state publicly that Britain will pull its soldiers out of Basra and will oppose any military attack by either America or Israel on Iran. The logical consequence of such a policy would be to encourage broad-based negotiations with Iran and also with Hamas, preferably in conjunction with the EU. In the meantime you could transform your domestic and international standing by firmly ruling out any further Middle Eastern military adventures, but continuing the peacemaking process in Afghanistan."
Have you taken leave of your senses? Talk to Iran and Hamas? They're our self-declared enemies, not rational, stable state actors. We SHOULD be preparing for war.

Richard, Norwich,

The French do not need to carry their identity cards, and I do not think the Germans need to either.

Alan Reid, Brussels,

I would think it is far too late to salvage anything from this term in office. Labour are dead and buried already, only problem is we have to wait for 2 more years before Brown will have to pull the trigger of the gun to his head and declare a general election. Until then we have a dead man walking running the nation if you will forgive the pun. That will bring to an end the longest period that the UK has had an unelected prime minister in modern history.

But i have to say i do not share Anatole's theory that foreign policy is the most important function of government - obviously the most important to the government and the voter is domestic policy and trade/economy. As evidenced by a bailout of 1 private bank with the equivalent of the nation's entire annual defence budget.

Labour will have to go back to the political wilderness and do some soul searching about how to be less obvious with their fanatically interfering, manipulative control freakery.

phil, london, uk

Donna: I used to be a 60 a day smoker and I gave up (quite literally) overnight, with no support or assistance. (It was 20 years ago and nicotine patches hadn't yet been invented !)

Gordon could do it, if only he had the willpower.

Andy, Rugby, UK

Bold and courageous gesture such as buying up the opium from the Afghanistan poppy growers is way beyond the wit and vision of this entrenched control freak of a PM. Brown's tunnel vision makes it quite impossibly for him to see even the clear economically advantage of such a move. The man is a failure in ever respect and the only favour he could do the Labour party is to step down. Thankfully he will not stand down and that fact above all others will ensure a massive win for the Tories come the next election. These things I know.

D Case, Newquay,

What you're asking Gordon to do is the equivalent of asking a 60 a day smoker to give up overnight, with no support or assistance.

He is addicted to complicated meddling initiatives; belief in his own superior intellect; and wasting other peoples' money.

Like a heavily addicted smoker, he may KNOW that what he is doing is harmful, but he can't stop himself.

Donna Walker, Effingham, Surrey

Very obliging of the article to give Brown some good advice. But a short conversation with any citizen soon makes one realise that people don't give a twopenny toss about matters other than: a health service that works quickly and doesn't make you ill; streets where you don't get scared; schools where your kids learn something; and roads that don't shake your car apart. Simple, really.

john problem, winchester, uk

How about the euro now then,Mr.Kaletsky?When was the zone going to break down you said?
Having lived through the sterling crises of the 1960s onwards,give me a strong currency any day over a mickey mouse one.
Looks like Brown's chickens are coming home to roost this year,eh!

Joe Dignan, Warrington, England

Terry Dell, do not underestimate the British public with regard to insurrection. It was only a few years ago that the fuel protests brought the country to a halt. At the height of those demonstrations, it would have taken only a few senior policemen / soldiers to support the demos and / or refuse to break the fuel depot blockades to bring about something approaching insurrection. The government recognised this and backed down.

Fred, Bristol, UK

Anatole Kaletsky is correct - the 'war on terror' is as unwinable as the 'war on drugs' has been. The soldeirs in Basra are running a risk with no reward - pull them out. They do not have the capacity to do anything.the Iraqis and the Americans know this.
The BMA put forward a plan to but the Afghan poppy crop for diamorphine manfacture. The EU has shown that stability occurs as a result of wealth creation and trade not military muscle. Too many young men's lives have already been lost to no good purpose. As long as the USA continues to operate in Afghanistan as it has in Columbia it is simply a waste ot blood and money.
Those planning terror attacks do not need countries to operate from. No one would have considered invading Eire to fight the IRA. Terorists will always be with us the trick is good intelligence not the Parachute Regiment.

Eddie Reader, birmingham, england

For those of us who want to see the back of this lot who seem to think that they know better than we do about how to live our lives all we have to do is wait and see. The man is far more authoritarian than King Blair, and stubborn with it too, and he will come a cropper soon enough.
Come the Election, we should all be shouting from the roofs that we want to see parliament sovereignty returned, with proper cabinet government replace the presidential style practised by his partner in crime. And we should also demand that our civil rights be restored immediately.
Am I alone in this; have the great British public been seduced by this lot to the point whereby they believe that there is nothing we can do? Just watch the following; the economy, the failure of the health and education services, the more than appropriate accent on Third World affairs, (over and above the affairs of the British public), and his continuing faultline of weak appointments to cabinet positions. He will fall.

gnonk, Nottingham,

The most important function of government is to safeguard the governance and territory of this country for its native citizens. If it fails in this -as it has done with uncontrolled immigration and surrender to the EU -it can succeed in nothing else.

F Kimbal Johnson, Louth,Lincs, UK

Thank God Anatole Kaletsky's not in government. A few facts: Hamas wants to destroy the state of Israel, Iran wants to gain nuclear weapons and destroy Israel and the west. Don't take my word for it read what these people say on their newspapers and websites. We are engaged in a war for both our freedom and our survival, make no mistake about it. Never surrender the high ground or the element of surprise. Go back and read your history books. Surrender, as you articulate, is no policy at all.

Andy, Herford,

1) What is this 'so-called' war on terror? Does it include 'so-called' bombs on the London Underground, featuring 'so-called' explosions with 'so-called' fatalities? One of the guys who died on the London Underground was a young trainee journalist with the Guardian. Does that make him 'so-called' deceased?

2) The 'farmers' are 'entitled' to grow opium? A simplistic over-generalisation if there ever was one. So the honour killing prone bunch of religious fanatics are put on the same platform as tobacco farmers in Virginia. Get a grip!

There must be better ways to criticise Mr Brown - who spends taxpayers money like Zsa Zsa Gabor on speed.

R Smith, Manama, Bahrain

"... incite a revolution if you try to force the British to carry compulsory identity cards ...". Come off it, the British don't have the balls. They'll swallow anything, absolutely anything, the Government throws at them without murmur: and Brown knows it.
That we could do with an insurrection is entirely another matter.

Terry Dell, Weybridge, UK

Brown isn't a manager. He has never managed anything in the real world, but he likes telling other people how to manage. Unsurprisingly, he tells them the wrong things, and the result is bad management.

Oliver Chettle, Bedford,

I agree with Rob Jones - let him get on with it. It should be worth an extra 5 to 10 years of seeing Labour in Opposition.

Brown is too stubborn and dull headed to understand that what he mostly proposes is the diametric opposite to what people want to see.

Edwin, Bucharest,

Brown is a manager, not a leader, he'll never change. Yep, let him get on with it, and lose the election.

lala, london,

let brown get on with it, this will guarantee his removal at the next election.

Rob Jones, kettering,