[scott_w]

My understanding is that it makes checking job eligibility easier, so enforcement of non compliance is easier.

A big source of illegal immigration is visa overstay (https://migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/resources/briefings/un...), which ID can solve by tracking the visa status.

There are benefits to UK citizens, such as being easier to open a bank account and to comply with Voter ID laws.

[amenhotep]

What a lovely framing that is. Since time immemorial our right to vote without having to present papers was prized and protected and caused no appreciable problems whatsoever. Then, finally, in one of these inevitable spasms of authoritarianism, they do away with it and we're now turned away from the polling station unless we can show our permission slip.

Then they come up with even more papers for us, and the argument for it is that it's now a benefit that we can more easily comply with Voter ID laws.

Bugger off with that. Don't talk to me about any "benefit" in relation to voter ID that isn't abolishing it.

[scott_w]

> Since time immemorial our right to vote without having to present papers was prized and protected and caused no appreciable problems whatsoever.

I don’t disagree at all, however we are where we are. The laws were introduced by a different government in a failed bid to maintain power by disenfranchising voters less likely to have ID.

That being said, we are where we are and having government-provided ID is a benefit in that context.

[vixen99]

Only a day or two since this was announced and a petition against ID Cards has already reached 1 million - way beyond the 100,000 required for a Parliamentary Debate. I wonder what the petition's growth rate will be over the next couple of weeks or so.

[SanjayMehta]

Papers please.