Quote of the day
“These bedroom snoopers are yet another sign of how the Labour Government has no respect for the privacy of law-abiding citizens.”
- Nick Hurd, Shadow Cabinet Office minister, reacting to the proposed 2011 census that is already being dubbed the “snoopers’ charter”. The Conservatives complained yesterday that the 32-page questionnaire is too long, too expensive, and likely to undermine public support for the exercise, especially since anyone who does not fill in the form risks a £1,000 fine. The questions will now include:
- Giving the sex and date of birth of any visitor staying the night that the census is filled in
- Expanding a person’s marital status from four possibilities to eight
- Asking how many bedrooms are in your home, which could affect council tax bills
- Asking whether your central heating is gas, electric, oil or solid fuel
- Specifying the address of any second home
- New questions aimed at immigrants, ethnic minorities, and those with little command of English e.g. those not born in the UK will be asked when they arrived here and those here for less than six months will be asked how long they intend to stay
I am a bit mystified by the first on this list – I thought this was already on the census? If not it certainly used to be – a friend of my great grandparents was staying with them in 1891, she was 26 years old. The whole point about a census is it records where people are at the time, even if they are not in their own home.
Having said that, the constant lengthening of the list of stupid questions is tiresome. Who gives a f…. about your central heating system? And of course this government has a habit of misusing information it has – I have grown decidedly cynical over recent years and find myself questioning every form I fill in. Methinks there will be more refuseniks if they go ahead with this plan.
Questions that deal with such private issues, have to be established on the basis of a ‘contract’ of trust between the state and the individual.
Unfortunately, we don’t have any of that so these questions seem particularly intrusive.
I, for one, would be reluctant to answer any of them. I think i’ll put the details of my pets down for those ’staying the night’.
I think I’ll invite a couple of Jedi round for the night and crack open a few beers.
I’m intending to have a bunch of cheerleaders around that night – just for the bragging rights..
“The questions will now include:”
The problem is that not only can you be fined for not answering a question but also for giving a dishonest answer. Personally I can’t wait until they try to recruit Sith to ensure that there are no Jedi here…
Giving the sex and date of birth of any visitor staying the night that the census is filled in
Does this include dogs and foxes? I’m going to assume so and say 12 months, male, 13 months female and 20 months male…
Expanding a person’s marital status from four possibilities to eight
Wait. How’s that going to work? Married (no doubt). Single (beyond question). Co-habiting (a valid option). In a relationship (nebulous but there). Now how for the next four? In an open relationship (I have a partner I go home to but they know I f*ck who I like)? Profligate? (Don’t ask for a name, let alone a gender, before having them) and wait. I’m actually stuck now…
Asking how many bedrooms are in your home, which could affect council tax bills
Depends what you mean by bedroom… I once knew a girl who got off on sleeping in a cupboard…. or is that a bleed-over from the previous question?
Asking whether your central heating is gas, electric, oil or solid fuel
Whatever I can afford. If I were in Sweden, I’d be using bunny power.
Specifying the address of any second home
Does the pub count? How about the 3 mil on the dole? Should they list their DSS office/Job Centre as their 2nd residence?
New questions aimed at immigrants, ethnic minorities, and those with little command of English e.g. those not born in the UK will be asked when they arrived here and those here for less than six months will be asked how long they intend to stay
Translations provided in parenthesis below…
New questions aimed at immigrants, ethnic minorities, and those with little command of English e.g. those not born in the UK (if presented with a piece of paper with a list with boxes next to each entry, could you place a tick or cross in the box marked ‘Labour’?) will be asked when they arrived here (and if they WOULD tick the Labour box) and those here for less than six months will be asked how long they intend to stay (in case they leave before a box could be ticked by them or, by post, on their behalf)
Bureaucrats of the world unite, my Missus and I who live in Germany have just been for our annual flu jab for the umpteenth time and this year we had to pretend to read a bloody great form and sign our agreement. I think the EU is to blame for it all.
Just looked up the definition of census, I think we have our answer in item 2
1. an official enumeration of the population, with details as to age, sex, occupation, etc.
2. (in ancient Rome) the registration of citizens and their property, for purposes of taxation.
There are going to be at least 32 Million Forms. How are the authorities going to monitor whether any information is accurate?
For myself, the house is described as a Four bedroom house but I use one bedroom as a study and one as a storage area.
It is the duty of every citizen to lie to the Gvernment in this form
The only way out of this is the largest piece of civil disobedience of all time. If we all decide not to return the forms, they can’t fine us all can they?
Problem is with the British is that were are far too obedient, it’s just not cricket to make a fuss.
New questions aimed at immigrants, ethnic minorities, and those with little command of English e.g. those not born in the UK will be asked when they arrived here and those here for less than six months will be asked how long they intend to stay.
Oh yes, I can see it now…
I arrived 10 years ago on a visa to do a bogus management course in an even more suspect college in London. I do not intend to go back to my home country again!
While we may get fined for not filling it in, is there obligation to fill it in ‘factually’? It sounds highly intrusive and is therefore begging to be sabotaged. On the last of the points listed (to immigrants), what would be the likelihood of the present government actually releasing the statistics harvested? Nil I would think.