The unctuous Tony McNulty – yes, he of the overweening database state – lectures us on the benefits of giving even more of our private information to the salivating monster. His justification is that it is vital for communities. Bollocks, frankly. Apart from the basic head count, there is nothing in the questions asked that the state needs to know in order to allocate resources. It doesn’t stop McNulty trying, though.
So it is important to know where people come from, so as to target help and support where needed. It is important to know how many people of each faith, and no faith, there are in the country so that we can understand our communities better and ensure fairness and equity in the distribution of resources. It is important to know the age structures and profiles of our communities so that resources are focused accordingly.
So resources are allocated according to one’s preferred superstition, now? Either local authorities need resources or they don’t. The preferred god(s) of the electors in that district are neither here nor there. And, as this question is voluntary, it’s worse than useless anyway.
Much of the content of this census is little more than naked data-mining. They are asking because they can – it’s pure nosiness. And as such, should be resisted. I’ve finally decided what I am going to do. I’ll be sending it back. However, the content will be misleading and not reflect my actual circumstances at all.
McNulty may not approve of my disobedience, but then I disapprove of making fraudulent claims against the public purse, so I guess we are quits, eh?
Best of luck to the census processors in finding Green Manalishi under ethnic origin and Pagan Zoroastrianism under religious affiliation.
I don’t think mine is going to bear much relation with reality either. I’m not even that bothered about privacy issues, it’s just that government disgusts me so much at the moment I couldn’t give a stuff about their important plans. Screw ’em.
Still planning to do mine in Runic characters.
Notice too he never, ever elaborates on what these ‘resources’ are that he keeps mentioning..?
“Racial Origin”
Home sapiens sapientes Africanus
“Religion”
What’s that?
etc ……
Funny you say that JuliaM. I asked repeatedly on a board (the sort of people who would compile and use these statistics) for a good reason why the census is applicable in this day and age. In particular, I asked why some of the more unnecessary and intrusive questions were on that census and I never, ever got a straight answer from them – it was all ‘trends’, ‘statistics’ and all the rest.
When I became too much of a handful they simply ridiculed my questioning and used ad homs.
So there you have your answer.
Paul, yes, I’ve noticed this trend. They talk about resources, but cannot justify why they need anything more than a basic headcount. I don’t have a problem with the basic headcount for the purposes of distributing local government funding. I do have a problem with deeply personal and invasive questioning that is entirely unnecessary for such purposes. But these people can never, ever give a sound reason for these questions. That’s because, apart for obsessive control freakery, there isn’t one.