Should we be made to carry ID cards?

David Blunkett says he wants to push on with plans to introduce national identity cards, and wants a bill for their introduction to be included in the Queen's Speech.

The Home Secretary claims to have no idea how many illegal immigrants are in the country and blames this on the absence of ID cards.

He says that in his view no-one should be able to work or claim benefits without one, and that they would help track illegal immigrants and restrict access to public services.

But shadow home secretary Oliver Letwin has said that the government have not thought the "half-baked" system through and it would prove unworkable.

Do you think the system of national ID cards would work? Would you be happy to carry one?

This debate is now closed. Read a selection of your comments below.

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The following comments reflect the balance of views we have received:

SUGGEST A DEBATE This topic was suggested by Gary Lister, UK Why would someone not agree to have a ID card in the UK? Send us your suggestions for Have Your Say debates

I am against I.D. cards. I am a law abiding subject, (we don't have citizenship in this "Great Britain"). Why does my right to move freely around the country in which I pay taxes have to be compromised by having to carry an identification card to prove who I am? The police forces are doing a great job with the paltry resources and funding they get. They have already the power to stop and search and if required, apprehend. France has had I.D. cards for years and this has not stopped crime or the forging of cards. Apart from being an infringement of my civil liberties, this will be unworkable and who will pay for this? Us.
Jim Todd, Scotland

I refuse to be criminalised by objecting to carrying an ID card Katherine, UK

To all the people saying that only those with something to hide will complain - you are utterly, categorically and completely wrong. Why? I do not have anything to hide - I am law abiding, tax paying, gainfully employed and all the rest of it - and I object massively. My complaint is this - I refuse to be criminalised by objecting to carrying an ID card. The government is there for me and all of us, not the other way around. And history proves the 'nothing to hide, nothing to fear' brigade wrong again and again.
Katherine, UK

ID, DNA, fingerprint and Iris-scan, everyone at birth or when they enter the country, then there will be no more of these time wasting discussions. Crime solving will be a snap and a lot cheaper. Lets not be squeamish. Freedom? To do what?
Dave, UK

I have never understood the arguments against carrying an ID card. In modern society, carrying at least two forms of ID is a common requirement and most people do this without a second thought. I would not only be happy to carry a card, but would welcome this card if it meant that all of this useless plastic in my wallet could be replaced by a multi-purpose card. Those who fear this kind of card probably have a lot to hide. People carried ID cards in the last world war and no one blinked an eyelid.

Will it work? It all depends who implements it, how they implement it and what safeguards are put in place. There is no point in carrying any card that can be forged, or even a card that could be obtained through fraud and that is quite apparent with driving licences and Passports. Unless these loopholes are filled then it is going to be another card I will have to carry with the rest.
Simon Kelk, England

Why would I not agree to have an ID card? Because of the simple right of the citizenry to engage in its perfectly lawful business without unwarranted interference from the state. Full stop. The public does not like the state to meddle in things that do not concern it - remember when the last census asked about religion? There were so many disgruntled people that "Jedi" almost became an official UK religion. Mr Blunkett should get his act together on immigration, stop wasting our taxes and leave Joe Public alone.
Mike R., UK

I am amazed to hear some suggest that having an ID card system is a sign of a more developed country when in fact, in my opinion, it shows a less developed country where the government acts as Big Brother and there is a "we must keep track of all the little people" mentality.
Ed, USA

Whenever ID Cards are mentioned, hysterical PC liberals and leftist ideologue "human rights" groups cry foul. Claiming that such ID Cards would "infringe" civil liberties and would be the "first step" to a "totalitarian state". Such arguments are facile, compulsory ID Cards are the norm in continental Europe, including in the most liberal countries like Belgium, Sweden, Denmark, etc. Are those countries less free and democratic because of compulsory ID Cards? No of course not! ID Cards would help curb illegal immigration, benefit fraud, crime and terrorism.
John Knox, London, England

I think they are a good idea and only people with something to hide will complain. However if this government wants to introduce this scheme then it should accept the costs incurred and not expect a pensioner who has little enough money as it is, to pay for one.
Ron Barnshaw, England

Yes we should have an ID card system. However unless there are severe penalties (automatic 5+ years in jail) for supplying or using fake cards then the system will fail to achieve anything.
Dave, England

I don't understand how the introduction of ID cards will tell David Blunkett how many illegal immigrants there are in the UK as it will inevitably be forgeable. There is no problem for which an ID card system will be a solution, but it does appeal to the authoritarian instincts of this government. I never thought I'd say this but I'm with the Tories - this is half-baked and pointless.
Piers, UK

One idea has been expressed here many times - if you're doing nothing wrong you won't mind an ID card. Seems clear and correct to some, but it contains an assumption that may be false. It is the assumption that the government knows right from wrong, or cares about the difference. People who attend political demonstrations have done nothing wrong, but many governments have lists of them, and gather information on them. That's just one example of the way such a system is open to abuse.
Jo, UK

I've just looked through my wallet and have 18 bits of plastic or laminated card, many of which are to identify me to someone as being who I say I am. Despite this I can never seem to lay my hands on the appropriate piece of ID when I need it (NHS number, NI number etc.) One ID card that was accepted by ALL national and local government agencies, backed by the most secure handling system available, run by the state and not a private concern, and with the right for the card owner to view all data held on them, seems very sensible in this day and age. I note the comments made in the 1950s about the acceptability of ID cards but we don't live in a comparable society today.
Graham, UK

The money it would cost is urgently needed elsewhere Bill, UK

An ID card will bring none of the benefits that are claimed. People who are outside the law will have false ID or go without. Those who are law abiding still have as much or more risk of identity theft, with the added risk of abuse by those in power. The money it would cost is urgently needed elsewhere.
Bill, UK

Once we all have ID cards (attached perhaps to a database of everyone's DNA?), it won't be long before the cards have the new smart locator chips that supermarkets are starting to use: it makes 'perfect' sense for the government to know who and where we all are at all times, doesn't it? After all, as the argument goes, 'if I've nothing to hide, I've nothing to fear'. That argument always reminds me of a dumb mantra Animal Farm or 1984.
Julius, UK

Not only should we have ID cards, every child born should have its DNA registered to make the lives of future generations a great deal safer. Obviously, if crime detection was made easier through DNA results, this in itself would be a great deterrent to committing a crime! The only people who would object to this would be the grossly overpaid Barristers etc as long drawn-out, money-generating cases would be a thing of the past. In the year 2003 we have the technology and the means to solve a great many of our serious problems but cannot use them as it would inconvenience the lives of too many privileged people - I rest my case
Ray Ford, Scotland

As a law abiding citizen I cannot see any objections to an ID Card. The objections seem to come from people with something to hide.
Brian, United Kingdom

Everyone who has a shop card or who uses retailers' credit card gives away ID, shopping habits and god knows what other very personal information every time they use it. No one knows what these corporations do with the information. And you tell us that you don't like the mere idea of an identity card?
Remi, UK

This subject is wheeled out every six months or so, each time to be put safely back on the political shelf to gather dust. The inherent problems aside - which are many - I remain unconvinced of the feasibility of a national ID card introduction in a country which - 32 years after it came to public attention - still has yet to close the so called 'Jackal' loophole in passport applications. The prospect of ID cards will still be argued over well into the second decade of this century.
John, England

I am surprised why in a "developed" country like UK there is no ID card. In Bahrain gulf state usually referred to as "developing" country, we have a full-fledged ID card system, which contains all information. You can use it for the bank, pay bills, vote, claim benefits, etc. And it is linked throughout all government entities, hospital, passports and immigration. Basically a smart card!
Marwa, Bahrain

It is much simpler to have an ID card - as in the European countries where I have lived most of my life - since you have to prove who you are all the time anyway. Personally, I have no problems with it and I can't see why any law abiding person would. Also, any tool to cut crime is fine by me. I am much more interested in our right to be safe than worried about another piece of paper. And it is obviously a disgrace that the Government has no idea who is in the country legally - and so who has a right to the benefits that you and I have paid for. Compassionate asylum is one thing, gangs of cut price labour smuggled in by criminals is another. IDs will not automatically cut crime or clear up the immigrant confusion, but they would help.
Miranda, UK

Political usage is inevitable and a totalitarian state is but a short step away Adam Cohen, UK

The physical ID card and the option to carry it is a red-herring. Blunkett is proposing a registration exercise, the output being a unique number for life and various unchanging identifications. The prime datum is the registration number, with it, via computer networks, any authorised person will be able to read your life's story, from health records to the library books you read. Political usage is inevitable and a totalitarian state is but a short step away.
Adam Cohen, UK

This subject is wheeled out every six months or so, each time to be put safely back on the political shelf to gather dust. The inherent problems aside - which are many - I remain unconvinced of the feasibility of a national ID card introduction in a country which - 32 years after it coming to public attention - still has yet to close the so called 'Jackal' loophole in passport applications. The prospect of ID cards will still be argued over well into the second decade of this century.
John, England

The majority of UK residents already have an ID card - their National Insurance card and number. This is required by law to be employed and claim benefits. Why not just update this to include a photo ID and your in business. Simple and wouldn't cost a fortune. It is the same in the USA - without a Social Security number you can't have a bank account, it is your IRS reference, etc. AND you can't get a SS number without proving you are entitled to live and be employed in the USA.
MGC, England

Yes. The only people who have anything to fear are those here illegally. The soft politically correct crowd have got us in enough of a mess now with their civil liberty scaremongering.
Peter Morgan, England

Have any of the complacent people out there who are in favour of ID cards heard of identity theft? How much more difficult is it going to be to prove your innocence if another person has used 'your' ID card? These cards will not necessarily help, ask Derek Bond who languished in a South African jail for three weeks, if a valid passport helped him. Who will maintain the data bases of these cards? It is such a big task it will undoubtedly be farmed out by this Government to the private sector. What if you end up with someone working in it like the guys that were just put away for a massive credit card fraud? An ID system is only effective and secure if its data base is also rock-solid.
Les Upchurch, UK

We need ID everyday in order to get through life John, UK

Like Phil, I spend several years in Belgium and didn't have any problems with carrying or using an ID card. The Charter 88 argument is that the introduction of cards is an erosion of civil liberties, but we need ID everyday in order to get through life. Sometimes the ID is a driving licence, sometimes a bank card, most times a credit card. However, until these IDs carry biometric data which can be readily checked by the person verifying the holder's ID it is unlikely that the existence ID cards will reduce fraud.
John, UK

I believe that National Identity cards would be beneficial, however, I lack faith in the public service to implement such a programme successfully.
Steve, UK

Liberty, get with the winning team instead of the whinging team. Get out in the real world where you will find that honest decent living folk don't have to constantly look over their shoulder for the state oppressors. They go about their lives unmolested, at least until they transgress the law. Just look at all the positives people are raising here. ID cards would get my vote.
Chris, UK

I am currently working in the New Zealand Hospital. Here if you are not do not have permanent residency you can get not healthcare for free. One problem the NHS has in that it makes no attempt to find out the citizenship status of it users and is currently abused by large numbers of health tourists. Of course an entitlement or ID card isn't the obvious solution to this problem - simply requiring residency papers or passports is enough- Of course everyone would then have to be prepared to produce their passport when they go to the Hospital or register with a GP.
George, New Zealand

In the past I have had my address 'stolen', and used to run up bad debts - the 'thief' actually closed my water rates account and renamed it so that he/she could use a letter relating to the new account to obtain credit. It is too easy to use a bit of paper to obtain all kinds of things fraudulently - and perhaps a unique number/password relating to an ID card might have helped in my situation. I'm now rather paranoid about my ID and address and have invested in a shredder. I am a great believer in freedom, but feel some real proof of identity is needed. However the government also needs to look at how it can be used to protect its individual citizens as well as protecting public services.
Pat H., UK

Today, I can open a bank account with a gas bill as ID. Just how safe is that? I lived in Belgium for 5 years and had a compulsory ID card. I have no issues whatsoever with introducing the system here.
Phil, UK

It's OK if you don't have to carry it at all times. I live in Spain and I am fed up with having to produce it for every little thing. When the postman comes with a registered letter I have to go and get my ID no. If you give a donation to charity you have to give your ID no. You must carry it at all times and most days you have to produce it for something or other.
Elizabeth Tippins, Spain

All introducing ID cards will do is create another way for organised crime to make money; by producing false ID cards. Far better to spend the potentially huge amounts of money this scheme would cost, in giving the police the resources to do their jobs with the powers they already have.
Andrew C, UK

Is this another example of stealth tax? Paul Lee, England

I wouldn't object to carrying an ID card if I didn't have to pay for it! Is this another example of stealth tax, forcing the people to pay for one of the Government's ill conceived plans?
Paul Lee, England

We should remember that countries where ID cards are compulsory have as much fraud and crime as we do. It is a myth to think it would stop such activity. Criminals will simply find other ways of cheating the system, while the rest of us have the expense and inconvenience of carrying these cards.
Nick, UK

If the government pushes ahead with ID cards and the idea of tracking devices in every car, I shall break a lifelong habit and vote Conservative!
Graham, UK

What are these ID cards going to be based on? Passports? Which have been forged by the thousands. Birth certificates? Which have been procured by criminals and are proven to be easily accessible to anyone. ID cards are a waste of time and money.
Amanda, London

I personally have absolutely no problem in carrying an ID card. I, like many other people, believe in the maxim 'if you've nothing to hide what's the problem'. The problem I do have is the Home Secretary's insistence that even though he would like it to be mandatory, that we as citizens in our own country would be forced to pay £40+ for the card.
Phil Caldwell, UK

What's the big deal? Paranoia about being monitored and mistrusted is exactly just that - paranoia brought on by resistance to change. Where I come from, I have to have an ID card - this means, for example, that no one else can withdraw money from my bank account and no one else can vote claiming to be me. I've never felt accused of being dishonest by my government for having them insist I have one - in fact I feel protected knowing that it exists. What's wrong with having to carry an ID card to prove who you are? Isn't it obvious how this will help prevent fraud?
Sally, UK

Just ask yourself this: do you trust the government? Local government? The possible next government, or the government after that? Do you trust the police? Do you believe that the government has YOUR best interests at hear all the time? Do you believe that the system will never ever make mistakes? Surely you should bear all this in mind when you demand ID cards, because people are not infallible - what if a mistake is made somewhere? Your ID card might accidentally get mixed up with that of a wanted criminal, or a terrorist. People who want ID cards are naive and dangerous and don't believe in freedom.
Paul, UK

I will happlily carry a card, and produce it, in order to use the social services I have already helped to pay for Sue, UK

I am sick and tired of the great defenders of "liberty" who block every bit of legislation that might be effective in the fight against crime and illegal immigration, because they claim it will somehow reduce their "rights". What about my right to live without fear of crime? Any deterrent will be welcomed by me, and I will happlily carry a card, and produce it, in order to use the social services I have already helped to pay for. I would not expect to hire a video without producing entitlement - why should I, or anyone else, expect to be able to claim cash and health treatment without one?
Sue, UK

What about the positives here? How about an asthmatic who has run out of their inhaler being able to turn up at any hospital or pharmacy and pick up a repeat or emergency prescription using their ID card, this is the same for any number of difficult medical conditions that people suffer from. The data would not be held on the card but by the NHS as currently planned with the Electronic Patient Record initiative.
Alex, UK

Can someone just clarify what this personal information that everyone seems to be scared the people/authorities are going to get their hands on, actually is? If my card tells someone I am allergic to aspirin, am 5' 10" and was born in Bristol - oh, and I have a speeding fine from last year - then why should I worry who knows? It is just the people who's name is going to be followed by something suspect that are worried? This is an age old argument - and we will never get the cards anyway, so why bring it up? Its almost as boring as Europe. Yawn.
Jim, England

I feel that in an age where you have to provide evidence of your identity quite often, that an ID card would be a good idea. Opponents who use the "Big Brother" argument are missing the point that if "they" want to track your movements, the means are already in place. Credit cards, mobile phones, cash points - even using a PC are all trackable to some extent.
Roger, UK

Only those who are up to mischief can oppose the introduction of ID cards. I carry credit cards, store cards, driving licence etc. What is one more? Introduce them and let's try to sort this mess out.
Alistair, England

I'm British and live and work in Belgium where, it is required to carry an ID card at all times. It really does make live easier and it guards against illegal immigration. Why do you think all illegal immigrants want to live in countries where they can blend in without any checks or controls? Come on UK, get an ID card and be free.
PG, Belgium

Does this not show a distinct lack of trust by the government? Everyone is guilty and must be monitored. And does this debate not show a distinct lack of trust by the populace of the government? Most of us have nothing to hide. BUT this is invading our space. If you grow up with surveillance it is the accepted norm. Just like a child growing up with abusive parents seems the norm to the child. If I cannot get a job without a card, AND a bank account AND an address, what other annoying laws will law-abiding citizens have to conform to so as to live in peace and quiet, while the criminals dodge the fallible human system being enforced?
A Booyse, UK

Show me that it is flawless, and that the people operating it are surrounded by unimpeachable checks and balances, and I'll sign up on the spot. But if there's a chance of abuse, ineptitude, fraud or cock-up, then I'll remain implacably opposed.
Tim, UK

Of COURSE we should have ID cards. I'm fed up to the back teeth of having to bring a gas bill along whenever I want to prove my ID to get a library card or video club card. My local library wouldn't accept my brand new photo driving license as ID a few years back! How crazy is that?!
Andy Severn, UK

It's just another thing that the failing labour government want to bring into the country. ID Cards? If David Blunkett was stricter on asylum, and actually proposed plans to sort out the actual ones who need asylum then this wouldn't be needed. Another bad plan from a bad government.
Steve, UK

I for one will never carry a compulsary identity document even if it means going to jail. I have worked hard all my life and paid my taxes (lots and lots of them), to pay for politicians and council pensions etc and I do not expect this great country to go further down the road of a police state.
Peter, UK

What does it matter if 'they' have that information? name here

With 'rights' comes responsibility. If we demand our 'rights' to freedom then we should be responsible for protecting and enforcing them. An ID card is - just like a passport - such a means. We expect the benefits from our society - why should we not be responsible for them? In truth there is nothing secret about our lives - from our bank records, to medical to sexual, to shopping! What does it matter if 'they' have that information? Does it stop you living, breathing, eating?
Mark, Hants, UK

Mark, Hants, UK - did you know that passports are a recent invention, set up for the exact reason ID cards are going to be introduced now. The fact is that it didn't work, people copied them and to imagine that no one will do the same the second these cards are introduced is idiocy.
Tom, England

The USA doesn't officially have a national ID card scheme, but the driver's licence is demanded so many places, when one enters a bar to when you write a cheque. So, it has become the de-facto identity card. In Texas the DPS will even issue an identity card if you do not qualify for a drivers licence. As an ex-pat where do I sign up for my UK ID card?
Richard Letts, Texas

I am Dutch (no ID cards), but I live and work in Belgium (everybody must have an ID card) In either Holland or in Belgium, I will have to prove who I am, at the post office, banks, etc. this is very cumbersome in Holland, they want to see your driver's licence, bank cards, Dutch passport etc. to prove who you are.

In Belgium I simply show my ID card, it is as simple as that. I am proud of who I am, and have no reason whatsoever to hide my identity. It is a safeguard against abuse of my identity, it saves me from crime, it makes my life a lot easier, and I certainly do not think my rights are infringed in any way at all. The cost is negligible compared to what could happen to you if someone criminal can masquerade as being you. With or without an ID card, any government can "watch" you, so I think that discussion is a non starter.
Matthew Dikmans, Belgium

And no one points out the cost? Do not enough of our taxes disappear into a black hole already without this completely unnecessary cost, that will be administered by government departments without the slightest inkling of preparing for the future? This is totally unnecessary.
Tim, UK

A card will clearly not deter criminals (why would it?) and most illegal immigrants work illegally without any paperwork, so it won't deter them and it's doubtful that an NHS hospital is not going to refuse treatment to someone in great pain regardless of what a piece of plastic says. So what have we got? Not a lot - another erosion of what few rights and freedoms that we "subjects" not "citizens" have.
Kevin Crocombe, UK

A brilliant idea. Not only would it stop the NHS and social services being ripped of, but more importantly it would remove the fear of our taxes and council taxes being wasted on non qualifying people. Bring it in the sooner the better
Richard, England

The ID card is obligatory here in Spain and has done nothing whatsoever to curb immigration. What it has led to though is police abuse, with them being able to stop and search you for no reason at all and take you to the police station without arresting you until you can prove who you are - a rather unpleasant experience which I've been through myself; and the police in Spain aren't the most respectful in the world!
Mark, Spain

ID cards should be viewed as protecting the rights of the individual, not infringing them J Wheeler, UK/Spain

ID cards should be viewed as protecting the rights of the individual, not infringing them. One should weigh up the inconvenience of carrying a credit-card sized piece of plastic against protection against fraud and the ease of obtaining services. In Spain, ones ID is used for identifying oneself in nearly all transactions (e.g. paying with a credit card), and can be used in lieu of a passport for travel with in EU. The card need hold no more information than one's National Insurance number and appropriate identification (photo and biometrics). Why do people fear being identified, or even having their movements traced, if they are law-abiding citizens? I can't believe that the state is interested in tracking non-criminals given the difficulty is has in finding real ones!
J Wheeler, UK/Spain

If I could trust the holders of the information gathered and how it would be used, then I can see no problem in carrying an ID card. I don't.
Dee, UK

I had to carry the equivalent of one in Japan. There's no stigma, it's not an issue. People who think it infringes civil rights don't know what they're on about!
Gareth Jones, UK

Another step down the slippery slope toward dictatorship. The government has already all but abolished democracy. How long would it be before we had checkpoints set up to ensure that people on the street were carrying their ID cards? It seems we are increasingly moving towards the sort of nosey, invasive and controlling state the UK fought against before the USSR fell, but we don't even have the ideology of communism to excuse it. British people have always been proud of our freedom and liberty - this government has done more to chip away at that freedom than any I can remember. A definite NO to ID cards!
Dave, Britain

The introduction of ID cards being linked to immigration is a blatant lie. Since January 2002 all asylum seekers have had to carry "smart" identity cards (combined photo, fingerprint and cash) and require these cards to receive any benefits. Already 'immigrants' can be stopped and asked to produce their cards. Again Blunkett is pointing at non-existant smoke so he can light his own fire.
Peter Moss, England

I see we have the same old tired and fallacious argument used to impose restrictions on honest citizens - if you have nothing to hide, then you have nothing to worry about. Taken to its limits you could use this to justify a highly repressive society - do we really want that? ID cards would be another move in that direction, one we are accelerating towards already. Sort out the problems at source instead.
CH, London, UK

The whole idea is being driven by the illegal immigration issue, however it will do nothing to stop or deter people coming here and once here they will simply do what they do now, work for cash in hand or buy illegal documents to gain work. This is an extreme and costly measure which will be have no impact on illegal immigration or asylum but will have a big impact on race relations in areas where tensions already exist.
Kevin, UK

No big deal, I would happily carry one - like all other Europeans Bettina, England

Those who think that the ID card will be the final realisation of 'big brother is watching you' are naive, because with the technology we have nowadays we already surpassed that stage many times. No big deal, I would happily carry one - like all other Europeans.
Bettina, England

ID cards will not solve the problem of illegal immigration or of serious crime. All the countries in Europe with ID cards have as big a problem as the UK with these same issues - ID cards will not help. To spend a billion pounds introducing this scheme is a mistake which we'll regret in the future when our civil liberties are reduced and can never be returned.
Simon Nat, UK

I have grave reservations about individual liberty if Blunkett has his way. Why do law abiding people have to give up their basic rights and freedoms, when it is unclear that there are many, if any, benefits from such a scheme. Would the people who broke into my car have been deterred or caught by an ID card? What we are increasingly subjected to is the proverbial sledgehammer to crack a nut.
Stephen, UK

No problems at all with ID cards. I'm proud to be British and if I have to carry a card which meant illegal immigrants weren't being allowed to use up the resources of this country that they haven't paid for, then so be it.
Ian S, UK, Birmingham

Supporters of compulsory ID cards are politically naive. ID cards are not to solve or deter crime, they are for the State to keep tabs on its citizens. Given that politics tends to attract a species of criminal intelligence that prefers to work within the law, public safety will be best secured by an unencumbered citizenry keeping a watchful eye on the Government, not the other way around.
Daisy Bell, UK/Belgium

Introducing a national ID card scheme will do nothing to stop illegal immigration or serious crime, as those people will either forge or ignore the cards. They will, however, be used as another revenue generating stick to beat the generally law abiding majority of the population.
Mike Tanton, UK

Yes - there can be no case for refusing to, it's just the same as carrying a driving licence.
John Bellinger-Smith, UK

Your average law abiding citizen could do nothing but support ID cards Chris Pope, England

Despite the obvious fears of a Big Brother like state, your average law abiding citizen could do nothing but support ID cards. What is there to fear? Anything that could possibly be used to reduce illegal immigration and that could help to cut crimes such as credit card fraud should be embraced whole heartedly. The idea that we have an uncontrollable amount of people who are working and not contributing to society leaves me fuming. Initially I would hope the system would border on the draconian, no ID no benefits, no free medical care, no credit, no utility accounts or mobile phone access. If you want to take from our society you should be a legitimate part of it.
Chris Pope, England

Why not? A lot of other EU countries have them. I'm tired of people claiming they infringe their human rights when they've been used successfully elsewhere!
Sarah, UK

Due to my jobs, I have carried an ID card for most of my adult life. It is not a great chore other than being careful and has proved a boon on more than one occasion. If it helps to get rid of illegally resident people and to catch criminals then it gets my vote.
Mike Hobday, UK

If its not compulsory to carry the ID card at all times, I really don't see the point - also, I'd be very unhappy to have to pay for it (as was previously suggested).
Jon, England

Supporters of compulsory ID cards do not realise that the intention is to give us a universal reference number under which all information may be correlated. Thus it will be the case that both overt and covert agencies of the State will know everything about you. Of course we will be told that sufficient safeguards are built in, but inevitably this facility will be used for purposes at variance with both your own wishes and the continuance of a free society.
PH, UK

PH: You already have a universal reference number. It's called your National Insurance Number. There's another few you might wish to consider - driver ID number, and passport number. A simple link can already be established with minimum effort. Even if all my data is identifiable, if have nothing to hide, I still have nothing to fear. It really is as simple as that.
Stew, UK

No doubt they will be cheaply attainable on the black market and expensive to the taxpayer Simon W, UK

Whilst I would not really mind carrying one (as a law abiding citizen) I can't help but feel that it is a bit pointless. They would be given mainly to 'average Joe' types who don't need to be identified and those immigrants who come in to the country illegally and then disappear will again slip through the net. They are paid in cash for working in factories etc - and because they are bypassing many of the government controls, ID cards would be wasted. No doubt they will be cheaply attainable on the black market and expensive to the taxpayer. Don't bother - just make it harder for immigrants to get in the country to start with.
Simon W, UK

Absolutely right, if you have nothing to hide you won't have a problem.
Darren, UK

This is absolute nonsense - it pre-supposes that the people who already forge credit cards, passports etc will not be able to do a damn good job in forging ID cards too! Furthermore - what point is there in having an ID card which you do NOT have to carry (ie at a time when you may need to 'prove' your identity?)
Tony Hedley, UK

Absolutely not. If carrying the card is not compulsory, then what's the point? If carrying the card is compulsory, why should I be criminalised if I forget my wallet when I walk out of the house (at the moment it is inconvenient, but not a crime)? I have a passport and a driving license which I can use to prove my identity when necessary, but these are documents I carry voluntarily. Furthermore, what information will be held on these cards? How will we be protected from abuse of this information?
Ewan, England

Surely on those with something to hide would object to an ID card.
Huw Davies, UK

You can get a fake passport and driving licence with relative ease in this country. What's to say that getting a forged ID card would be any harder? This is just another thing for the law abiding to deal with, and the law breakers to abuse.
Dan, UK

Identity cards are a great threat to civil liberties Rory Harden, UK

Identity cards are the wrong solution to the alleged problem of illegal immigration. In a society with concentrated and centralised executive power; a weak parliament with poor supervisory powers and a dysfunctional and unelected second chamber; no written constitution; a civil service which has become politicised at the top and intimidated at the bottom; a police force tempted to use anti-terrorist legislation in order to suppress dissent; and a legal system generally inaccessible to the average citizen, identity cards are a great threat to civil liberties. Mr Blunkett's identity cards are the solution to the problem of how you start to build a police state within a free-market economy.
Rory Harden, UK

Everyone should carry one, to include medical history, next of kin, date of birth, finger print, etc.
R. Druce, UK

I am in favour of them. Why would one not want to carry an ID card? The system could operate like driving licences; if someone is not carrying the card, they would have a few days to produce it.
Andy, England