The fine for refusing to register for an ID card will apparently be £2500. The estimated initial £39 fee, which came down to £35 as late as last week is now extimated in the published notes with the legislation as £85. Watch for that to creep up.

Some conspiracy theorists are seeing ID cards as Tony Blair's way of trying to ensure Gordon Brown never becomes prime minister - by the time the national ID card starts to really come crashing down around them, Tony Blair will be seeing out his final term in Downing Street and Labour will just get voted out of power at the following election.

A bit fanciful for me that one. Now David Blunkett seeing the ID card as his platform to launch a leadership bid, post Blair, would be a bit closer to the mark.