I can’t help but thinking that the Government is going about the introduction of Identity Cards the wrong way. The message we are hearing is, in effect, “You must get one or else!” and this is making many people angry even before they know much about what is involved. Then add the Huge cost to the Tax Payer and the additional costs for each ID Card (~£60 each) and you wonder why the government are even bothering.
The one piece of information we don’t seem to hear is any real benefit to the people who gain them. Being told you will need one to work at an Airport doesn’t count as a benefit! And I’ve yet to hear of any potential benefits to the country as a whole that haven’t already been blown out of the water.
If the government could identify any real benefits to the public then simple business logic would suggest that they should lead with these and present an environment where people choose to get an identity card to use those benefits. Again, if people are forced because other ways of proving identity are no longer accepted, then it continues to annoy people.
Of course, if there is any way that identity cards can become an attractive proposition for the general public – either as a convenient way to prove identity or to open up new opportunities – then clearly there is an opportunity for businesses to step in and offer the service on a commercial basis. Think mobile phones. Initially, large clunky objects with limited use or appeal. Now, there are more in every classroom than kids! If identity cards are genuinely of benefit to the public then this should be a valid option. There would be “Identity Providers” just like gas, phone or broadband providers.