What's the problem?

At 15 I took Driver Ed. On my sixteenth birthday I passed my driving test and was supplied with a Michigan driving license, then and there. It felt great. I thought then and I think now, I'm perfectly happy to follow the rules if it means I get the freedom to drive around.

Once I took an old passport to the airport - they let me fly home anyway. Officials called my dad who was waiting at the airport, ready to prove he was himself and I was me.

No one has ever explained to me why ID cards are a bad idea. I'm me and I'm perfectly happy to prove it. It's always seemed illogical to me that you don't need to carry a driver's license while driving in England. So there's an accident and the other guy's at fault and he tells the truth? What are those statistics?

Now I read the new rules for travellers to the US - you must supply details of where you will be staying on your first night in the States or you won't be allowed to fly. Who doesn't know where they're staying the first night? Even bad guys know that information, right?

"The request for first night’s accommodation details is part of the Advanced Passenger Information (API) required by US Authorities for all travellers entering the country. API also obliges passengers to give passport information, including passport number, country of issue, expiry date, given names, last name, gender, date of birth and nationality."

There are a host of Brits that are passionate about ID cards, saying they take away their freedom. This in a country that has tracker vans checking out if you have a license for your tv.

ID cards are like theatre tickets. It's all very well to say you bought front row seats, but let's see the ticket that proves it.