>Good grief I have no idea why these debates always descend into alarmism and philosophizing... I think it's similar in a way to the argument in the US about t

>Good grief I have no idea why these debates always descend into alarmism and philosophizing... I think it's similar in a way to the argument in the US about the right to bear arms. In the UK there's a similar kind of "inalienable right" feeling that we [as citizens] are not the property of the state and therefore are under no obligation to carry a piece of paper which identifies us as if we were a piece of state property. Theoretically in the UK you do not even have to give your name if asked by the Police, unless you are under arrest. There's also an association of ID cards being symbolic of totalitarian regimes, viz. the Nazis or Communist Russians of so much popular culture, grim-faced and eternally demanding "Your papers!" You can argue that in the form of Driving Licenses / bank cards / work ID cards, most people here are already carrying ways to prove their ID when required and that an officially issued card wouldn't make much practical difference, but the stigma against a state issued ID card still remains.