The Greens say more must be done on the causes of crime

Green spokesman and barrister Hugo Charlton said ID cards were unworkable, expensive and unnecessary.

And he attacked the use of anti-social behaviour orders and plans for new laws against terrorism.

Mr Charlton said Home Secretary David Blunkett did not realise there were limits on what a government could do to protect its citizens.

'Fascist'

Measures against crime, drugs and immigration were the centrepiece of Tuesday's Queen's Speech.

But Mr Charlton said the new proposals came on top of anti-terror legislation which undermined safeguards against an authoritarian state.

"These future proposals seem to confirm the government's intention to create what could become a police state," he said.

The new ID cards would be useless unless they had always to be carried, something which would be an "intolerable" restriction on freedom.

"The only European countries which have ID cards have had fascist governments, or been occupied by fascists," said Mr Charlton.

"I would suggest that will still be the case when they are introduced in this country."

No limits?

The Green spokesman also said the anti-social behaviour orders were a "gimmick" to deflect attention from the causes of nuisance behaviour, including wealth gaps, inadequate policing and poor facilities for young people.

He claimed Mr Blunkett's anti-terror plans for after the next election suggested he eventually wanted to scrap juries completely.

"He lives in a world surrounded by threat and fear," he said.

"Although his solution is to try to control and manage his environment, he has not begun to recognise that there limits as to how far a government can properly go looking after the interests of its citizens."