Bucko comments on the 2011 Census (pdf). That is the census that the Conservative Party lambasted for being too intrusive.
Tory Cabinet Office spokesman Nick Hurd said: ‘An increasingly invasive and intrusive census will erode public support, cost more and result in a less accurate survey.’
‘Just because the Government has the legal powers to ask these questions does not give the state the licence to ask anything they want.’
‘These bedroom snoopers are yet another sign of how the Labour Government has no respect for the privacy of law-abiding citizens.’
Quite right, too. So now that they are in power, the Tories will not be asking all those intrusive questions, eh? They are? Oh! Well, I am surprised. Although it does look like the “are you gay” question has been dropped. I suspect that it was question 17 that has been left blank. That said, question 4 asks about marriage or same sex civil partnerships so slips it in anyway. Apparently, according to the cleggeron coagulation, it would be too expensive and difficult to cancel this deeply intrusive questionnaire.
So, how have things changed since the coalition took over from Labour, and Mr Hurd became a minister in the Cabinet Office?
The director of the England and Wales census Glen Watson told the BBC: “They haven’t expressed those reservations to me since taking office.” His plans have not changed since election day.
Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude said: “The expenses already committed to the census mean any changes are difficult.”
Meet the new boss, same as the old boss. If the census was “Invasive. Intrusive. Unsuitable.” before the election and the Tories were opposed to it, then it remains so now that they are in power and they should do the right thing. Scrap it in its entirety, as with ID cards.
Bucko is looking at ways of avoiding divulging private information without coming a cropper. I have to say, the same thought has been on my mind since Maude’s announcement. I am sick to the back teeth with the equality brigade poking about in my personal life in the name of equality and diversity. Usually, I don’t fill in equal opportunity forms as my religious beliefs, age, sexuality and ethnic origins are none of their business. However, the private information that this census is looking for not only goes deeper than the equal opportunities forms, they are compulsory – apart from religion.
The options then are:
- lie.
- don’t do it and claim that it has been posted.
- leave some questions blank.
I am undecided at the moment. However, cooperation with this exercise is not an option. My health, my work, how much I earn, who sleeps in my house, my ethnic origins, religious belief, where I was a year previously, what qualifications I hold, indeed all of my private affairs are just that; private. I intend to keep them that way.
perhaps as the time grows near a movement similar to the jedi campaign will start. Their aim should be to get everyone to write “NOYFB” (None of your effing business) against all the intrusive questions.
I presume if you aren’t in the country at the time you can’t fill it out. Census day looks like a good time for a few days away in Barcelona or other place we’ve promised to visit.
I have no desire for a protracted battle with the powers-that-be over anything. Life’s too short for that. So I will ensure that I submit sufficient information to avoid a prosecution (and I believe that they intend only to prosecute in very clear-cut cases, such as outright refusal or the threatening of field workers). If they want to come round and check that every single improbable detail is true, they will be welcome to do so.
How much is the fine? If it’s reasonable enough I’m happy to pay it if they find out I haven’t filled in the form.
There’s NO way I’m filling that in – the amount of granular information in there is a marketing or insurance company’s dream.
And you’d trust the state to keep that information secure and not to cross reference that with any other database?
Nope, thought not.
Ah, should have read Bucko’s article first – fine £1000 but those 38 (out of thousands) were fined anywhere between £35-500 + costs.
Still, as I said on his blog, there is another way.
I notice there’s a way of filling this online.
All you need is to get your browser to use an anonymous proxy server, enter your unique internet access code they give you and then close the browser window rendering the form incomplete.
“But I filled the form in, I don’t understand this internet thing, it keeps crashing”. etc etc
FWIW I was a census enumerator last time round (never again) and we were told only to follow up on forms where the householder had omitted their name or date of birth. We were not to worry about any other omissions.
As far as I am aware, no one from our patch (suburbs of E Midlands city) were fined or pursued further for partial completion.
Obviously, the lying option is quite attractive, too.
I intend to go for a combination of creative lying and missed answers followed up with obfuscation and evasiveness in the unlikely event of any comeback, I’m rather looking forward to it !
There is also another option. Many forms do not actually have to be filled in in English. I will be getting Mrs M! to fill ours in in her native language, which is not nearly so common as Urdu etc.
Mind you, I do partially look forward to recieving a reply from some wag in the census office written in Hungarian.
Realisticly, I guess Pod has the best solution – “Name, rank and serial number – that’s all your getting off of me mate!”