@Simple ID system
For many activity's we already require an ID - some of the ID's used today include credit cards, driving licenses etc... for example:
obtaining credit
renting a property/car
getting a Job
getting your pension
Entry into some clubs requires an ID.
You can currently be refused liquor or cigarette's if you do not show proof of age.
So most people in Britain today need ID. All I'm suggesting is that simple system can provide most of the requirements:
Cutting and pasting photo's on to ID cards only works if you not sending a picture of the card holder to a central source to be verified.
Each card has a unique ID, so it maybe possible to copy cards but this does not help as many people will be sending in a photo of the card holder.
ITV manage to get the SMS network to respond fast enough for voting on "Dancing on ICE", that show's it could work the application does not require sub second response the first four requirements would be happy with day's as a response time and clubs and pub and shops already verify visa cards sub second so verifying an ID cards could also be done sub second.
NB: The issue with chip & pin is that by closing one hole in the U.K. they opened up another, the rest of the world. Until chip and pin is used by all outlets around the world and a better way of authorising Internet based transactions is used (say some form of secure ID may be the answer) these holes will not be closed.
So in summary we already need ID's for many functions, lets have some that works and is cheap. Nothing I've seen from the government to date works not even chips in passports they keep looking at the wrong problems.