ID Cards - A Safer Britain?

So, the UK want to introduce compulsory ID cards. From memory, I think one of these will set you back around £80-90. Will it have any benefits or is it just another 'control freak' policy cooked up by Blair's croonies: The BBC have published, what they think, are the pro's and con's of a UK ID card system;

For identity cards: The government and supporters of the scheme argue that identity cards are necessary to prevent identity theft and reduce benefit fraud. They say that identity cards would:

Prevent illegal immigration: Lack of a card allows illegal immigrants to arrive and disappear, according to the government.

Prevent illegal working: Identity cards would enable employers to verify if people are allowed to work and it would be easier to prosecute employers who break the law, says the Home Office.

Aid anti-terrorism measures: Identity cards would make it harder for terrorists and organised crime rings to use false and multiple identities, argues the Metropolitan Police Commissioner.

Tackle identity theft: A National Register with unique biometric information for each person would make fraud much harder, according to Cifas, the UK’s fraud prevention service.

Reduce benefit fraud and abuse of public services: Identity cards would ensure that public services are only used by those entitled to, says the Home Office.

Enhance sense of community: The government believes that identity cards would create a sense of shared citizenship, belonging and security.

Against identity cards: Opponents argue that identity cards won’t improve security in this country. They say that identity cards would:

Lead to loss of privacy: A massive database with an unprecedented amount of personal information would be created with giving government the power to "extend surveillance" of the population, says No2ID.

Be costly and impractical: The true cost of the scheme is unpredictable and the Home Office has a bad track record with large-scale IT projects, says the Liberal Democrats.

Worsen harassment of ethnic minorities: They would provide another pretext for stop-and-search, often directed at ethnic minorities, argues the civil liberties group Liberty.

Have little impact on counter-terrorism: Terror networks could forge cards or papers enabling people to get cards, and they haven’t prevented attacks elsewhere, says Liberty.

Have little effect on illegal working: Employers who are already willing to break the law won’t be put off by identity cards, says campaigning organisation No2ID.

Lead to ‘function creep’: MPs on the Home Affairs Committee expressed concerns that the functions of the card could grow as it stores more personal information.

What do you think? Personally I don't think these cards will have much of an impact at all. I cannot see, whilst illegal immigrants can easily dissapear in to society without trace, how an ID card can resolve this. Shouldn't the focus be on tightening security on our ports / airports etc? Again, in my own personal opinion, close the channel tunnel...this is the worse thing to happen this century when it comes to opening the doors to anyone.

Is it a wonder that the UK is a central hub for unwanted terrorists and hate campaigners? Again, the Government has fooled the public and diverted attention away from the real issues. Comments......