I thought this timely piece from the Manchester Airport "Plane Talk" glossy newspaper might be of interest and relevence at this point.
This is repeated verbatum from the headline article on the front page of issue 252/December 2008.
My apologies for it's length but I thought it better to quote in full rather than use "selective" quotes which might be considered biased
I would add that from my conversations it seems there are more of the "what have you got to fear/if you've not done anything/can't see the problem" around than those who object
‘In November the Home Secretary announced that Manchester and London City airports would work with the Home Office as part of the first wave of the Critical Workers Identity Cards (CWIC) Scheme.
The Government intends to introduce identity cards for all airside workers in phases. Starting with an 18-month evaluation period in autumn 2009. The Government and industry will assess the benefits and achievements of the scheme and consider how the process can be further developed for future phases.
Using identity cards as a single consistent means of proving identity across airports will bring real benefits to employers, employees and the public. They will help bring faster, cheaper and more joined up pre-employment and security checking processes, giving holders a highly secure and convenient identity document as well as being valid for travel to Europe for British citizens.
Geoff Muirhead CBE, Chief Executive of Manchester Airport Group said “Since no additional costs will be placed on the industry and a simplified process of applying for airside clearance is established, identity cards now offer real benefits to businesses operating at Manchester Airport. For individuals, identity cards offer the opportunity for greater portability in terms of applying for new jobs within the industry where airside clearance is required without the need to repeat lengthy security checks.”
The Identity and Passport Service (IPS) will work with Manchester Airport to start introducing the requirement for new airside employees to have an identity card from autumn 2009.
From 25th November 2008, the UK Border Agency will start issuing compulsory identity cards to foreign nationals who apply for further leave to remain in the UK within certain categories. This will help keep the UK borders strong, providing additional protection against illegal immigration and illegal employment.’