Gents, I would keep you powder dry if I were you. All that has happened is that the Manchester and London City trials have been cancelled. The real issue is what they intend to do about the National Identity Register (NIR). It always was the case that they could cancel the ID Card but keep the NIR for passport registration. See Liberty's press release:
Liberty - Protecting Civil Liberties Promoting Human Rights : 30/06/09 Liberty response to Home Office ID cards announcement
>>30 Jun 2009 Responding to the new Home Secretary's announcement on ID cards today, Isabella Sankey, Director of Policy for Liberty, said:
“The Home Secretary needs to be clear as to whether entry onto the National Identity Register will continue to be automatic when applying for a passport. If so, the identity scheme will be compulsory in practice. However you spin it, big ears, four legs and a long trunk still make an elephant. And this white elephant would be as costly to privacy and race equality as to our purses.”<<
I will be watching the progress of the ID Cards Statutory Instruments very closely:
NO2ID :: View topic - ID Cards Statutory Instruments
It seems to me that the whole country could be falling for a devilish piece of spin. They know people don't like ID Cards but have little concept of the NIR. It looks like the Government will get exactly what it wants - an Register linked to a passport. All they will have to do is start making the passport a designated document for a range of purposes. They will still be able link the major events of your life to a central register. The difference is that this is somewhat harder to campaign against!
Beware wise men bearing gifts.