£1000 reward. Had to laugh when I read this.

[Grumpmeister]

As anti ID card protests go, this has to be my favourite one so far.

Wanted: fingerprints of one unkempt, jowly, harassed-looking Scottish gentleman. Reward: £1,000.

An elaborate stunt dreamed up by anti-ID cards campaigners No2ID and Privacy International is offering a reward for anyone capturing the fingerprints of the Prime Minister or Home Secretary.

The two organisations have produced a Wild West-style 'Wanted' poster offering the reward for anyone who can lawfully obtain the fingerprints of either Gordon Brown or Jacqui Smith.

The poster says: "Smith & Brown intend acquiring by force the fingerprints of innocent people. The ringleaders need to learn that our fingerprints are not government property."

The posters will be put up in tube stations and pub toilets, both of which seem to be unlikely places to find either Mr Brown or Ms Smith.

Both the Prime Minister and the Home Secretary are accused of "identity theft" in the posters, which promise to make their fingerprints publicly available if captured. You can check out the poster here.

The reward money will be paid to a charity of the bounty hunter's choice. It's rib-tickling stuff.

The poster suggests lifting the prints from hard surfaces such as a beer glass or doorknob. Again, you're going to be standing around with your fingerprint kit in your hands for a while unless you're a frequent visitor to 10 Downing Street or the PM drinks in your local.

"Oi John, you'll never guess who was in 'ere last night - only Gordon bleedin' Brown. I 'ad a word with 'im. I says: 'Gordon, my son, you've got to sort out the bleedin' National 'ealth Service, it's a disgrace..."

The campaign is an attack on government plans to take the biometric details of UK citizens for ID cards, starting next year.

So what other opportunities might there be for the enterprising young fingerprinter to make a quick £1,000?

Well, modern politicians are defined by what they say as well as what they do, so take a look at some recent speeches.

You might try and read the speeches where he talks about grasping nettles (tricky) and opportunities (trickier) but anything grasped or grabbed with two hands doubles your chances of getting some decent prints, irrespective of how immaterial or stinging the grabbed item might be.

The truly ambitious might also want to try and fingerprint him while he's actually making a speech, which again might prove a tough challenge given that, first, he waves his arms about a lot and second, he'd probably notice you doing it.

Either way, the challenge is there and Mr Opportunity is knocking hard on the doors of CSI enthusiasts...