Conrad this is an absurd argument. The entire synergy that appeals to govts is the departmental integration. I know this from past lives. You are not spending billions to implement it if you don't get WOG operational efficiencies in return.
Discussion
I agree with you that governments are pushing eID to have greater control over the population.
The question is what is the best way to counter this. Trying to convince the public that there is no need for an eID is useless. There are obvious upsides to it. We must accept that.
The better approach IMHO is to strengthen the public demand for privacy. When privacy becomes a reality, eID will be separated from control, we will reap the benefits without giving the control freaks in government any power.
Now the question is, how do we create a public demand for privacy. The answer is by helping the public adopt a individual and freedom focused #philosophy. At the end of the day if people won't understand why their freedom is important, they won't fight for it.