"IT was the Met office who promised us a barbecue summer - not the Government," chortled Home Secretary Alan Johnson as he swept into Manchester yesterday to officially unveil the image of the new ID cards.

Cute gag, considering the recent shocking weather. Though judging by the temperature of public opinion there are plenty who would love to see this political hot potato reduced to ashes.

ID cards opinion: Chris Grayling

Actually, as hot political potatoes go, the identity card hardly seems grand enough to earn such a description. At best, this little oblong piece of pale pink plastic looks like the sort of thing you swipe to earn supermarket loyalty points.

But that, booms Mr Johnson good naturedly, is the point. And there needs to be a point since their voluntary status has netted countless accusations that the ID card is an intrusive gimmick and a flawed panacea for all of our nation's ills. Is the point that it's, well, pointless?

Johnson, who sounds a little like he has learned his arguments by heart, doesn't miss a beat.

"This is a safe, secure system to protect and prove identity, that locks in your image and lasts ten years. People are asked to prove their identity again and again. For example, the pandemic flu service will ask for proof of identity if you want to get anti-virals.

"The ID card is a convenient piece of plastic to carry around, so much easier than having to produce six months of bank statements or crumpled gas bills. Of course people can use their passports to prove ID but that's a far more valuable document to have to carry around - about 3,300 are lost each year and cost a lot more to replace. In a world where people are constantly asked to prove their identity this is one convenient way of doing it."

Hysteria

Nevertheless, the subject of ID cards has whipped up a storm of protest ever since the idea was first mooted. Indeed the seemingly gale force hysteria that mirrored their proposed introduction triggered a dramatic break with years of Labour policy, leading to what appeared to be a scrapping of plans to make them compulsory.

Instead the £200m scheme, which is initially being rolled out right here in Manchester (we earned this accolade, says Johnson because we are 'a great, vibrant city and it's good to test this on an area with a large urban population') seems far more focused on persuading youngsters to part with £30 so they can legitimately sink a few drinks at their local pub.

Personally, I've never really understood what the fuss was all about. The newly unveiled card reveals your name, date of birth, signature, photograph and holds your fingerprint on a secure electronic chip. That's it.

Perhaps the government, didn't have the stomach for a fight. But if they aren't going to be compulsory then how can they be worth the bother?

Alan Johnson is clearly too seasoned a player to get ruffled by this line of attack. Indeed he says that British citizens should never be forced to carry or even own the cards.

"I don't think it would be right to insist that they were compulsory. Our 2005 manifesto promise said it would be a voluntary scheme. It's a total fabrication to argue that we said it would be compulsory - that would require new, primary legislation. Either you have to trust the facts or the myths."

Technology

Certainly the new cards harness the very latest in technology. In fact everyone who wants a biometric passport will still have their details stored on the huge national identity register database. Which as those easily-ruffled civil liberties groups argue still amounts to a compulsory scheme, as anybody getting a passport from around 2011 will have no option but to sign up.

Johnson insists the two had to be locked together otherwise you could be more than one person.

Could ID cards be the precursor to a one-size-fits all product that can act as a credit card, a passport or indeed any other way we want to disseminate information about ourselves?

"Well, we can only take this one step at a time but I can see it getting to the stage where they could replace passports. They can already be used as a passport when travelling through Europe. Who knows where the new technology could lead? Though of course this would all require fresh legislation and we haven't got to first base yet."

So far only 3,500 have signed up for cards in Manchester. Are we Mancunians indifferent, unwilling to part with £30 during in such a savage economic climate, or have we been tainted by the card's very vocal detractors? It's hard to tell. Anyway, it may yet be academic. With Labour flagging in the polls, and Shadow Home Secretary Chris Grayling, vowing to scrap them should his party win the next General Election, the scheme could be at best short-lived.

But Alan Johnson is having none of it. "This is something for the 21st century which is why 24 out of 27 European countries are doing it. ID cards make absolute common sense."

It's a fair argument. But when it comes to cards, it's the electorate who hold the best ones. Only time will tell which way they choose to play them.....

ID cards opinion: Chris Grayling