Peter Rhodes on pop fashion, ID cards and the peculiar power of a fishing licence

The never-ending saga of whether Britain should have identity cards rumbles on with a sparky little debate among Daily Telegraph readers on the twin American obsessions with ID and alcohol. One reader – aged 48 - recalls being asked to produce his passport for every drink he ordered in a Chicago bar.

Mind you, even without a state ID card, the Great British Jobsworths keep busy. I recall a women's editor popping out of the office to buy a bottle of champagne as a competitions prize (those were the days). At the store's check-out, she was asked to produce proof that she was over 18. As she was 32 with a couple of kids, she was thrilled.

Which reminds me of the assignment, during a time of heightened security, when I had an appointment to interview a senior officer at a military base. The gate guard shook his head at my press card. According to the rules, he explained, I needed some form of ID issued by a government department. And thus it was that I dug deeper into my wallet and was admitted to the base on the strength of my fishing licence.

The singer Charlie XCX reports that broadcasters objected to her see-through dress at the Brit awards. Well, maybe they did. But this one incident is a reminder of a strange custom which has survived half a century of feminism and shows no sign of fading away. It is a golden rule of showbiz that men perform in proper clothes but women perform in underwear. Strange but true.