So, our not especially beloved home secretary would like us all to have compulsory ID cards. I'm totally against this - I carry all sorts of plastic around anyway, much of which shows exactly who I am, and really don't want any more.
Apparently it wouldn't be necessary to have the card with you at all times, which to my mind reduces its value a fair bit in any case. Presumably, any wrongdoer asked to pop down to the local cop-shop to show his card will resist the temptation to disappear instead, meekly trooping along to have his collar felt!
I have another practical objection to this half-baked idea. There will have to be a national database to hold all your ID information. In the event that it gets hacked into - and this WILL happen - your identity could be "stolen" and used to your detriment...