Census

[woollyideas]

What do people think about the forthcoming census?

I've applied for a job with Capita and have my phone interview tomorrow. I was feeling quite pleased about this (being broke and in need of a few extra quid) but the more I think about it, the more I'm beginning to have doubts.

I was totally against ID cards and the proposed NHS patient summary care records - not to mention the retaining of data of people who had been arrested and not subsequently charged. I think I hadn't really given the census much thought until now, though - well, not outside the 'Who Do You Think You Are' context, ie. I'd only really considered its value as a fairly basic record of who lived where/types of occupation held, etc... I think, too, because the census has quite a long history it has become 'accepted'. But I've just had a look at some of the same questions and am beginning to think that some of them go beyond 'basic' and into intrusive and I'm getting cold feet about wanting to do this job (if I was offered the post after interview, of course.)

What do people think about the census? Useful or not? Intrusive or not? Is there any justification for it in this day and age considering the amount of information that is already held on people?

HattiFattner if you're typical of the sarcastic superficial schlongs being employed to do census even more reason not to fill it in properly.

You've obviously not been using MN for long if you think we're all housewives or all from Pinner.........how fukkin rude.

Glasnost - the point is still there though - why do you care?

Census data is there to allow government to make good decisions about tax raising and resource allocation - is anybody actually opposed to that?

How do YOU know what the info is used for? Are you a part of the government coalition? (arf)

Apart from that which is all arguable I object to an arms dealer being behind it. Simple as. Especially one legally obliged to pass on any info to US gov and CIA. Sticks in the craw somewhat.

And why do you if I care? I brought the matter up as alot of people are unaware of this. Best to have full facts on something being passed off as a civic duty.

The microsoft/Google analogy of Fattner or whatever the name was is misleading too as not everyone has a computer whereas everyone HASTO do the census or gets fined.

What are you afraid the data is going to be used for? It's not being done by a company that is obliged to pass the data to the US. It's being done by a UK company that is legally forbidden to pass the data back to it's parent. Isn't it preferable for companies that make weapons get there money from somewhere else?

If the census data DID fall into the hands if a CIA black ops operation, what are they going to use the data FOR?

Oh, they'll cross reference the UK Census data with all our private texts, emails and phone calls, Coalition. Then they'll psychologically profile each of us individually and engage in personalised mind control techniques to brainwash all Brits into supporting the US Foreign Policy no matter what it is.

I mean, it's not like the CIA has anything better to do, right?

Glasnost oooooh get you...maybe I should change my name to sarcasticsuperficialschlong! "How fukkin rude" - indeed.

Seriously, which particular question about you did you feel would be useful for the CIA and the American administration....?

Whereas knowing how many people are crammed into a 3 bed house, knowing how many people are looking after disabled or elderly people, knowing how many people in an area don't speak English.....goodness, do ya think this might possibly be useful to local government when deciding what services are needed in your neck of the woods? services like - oooh I dont know....hospitals, schools,recreation facilities,elderly provision, public transport, surestart centres etc etc etc.

But if you want to be paranoid, go ahead, light up another spliff and get all twitchy about the dark car parked outside your house, the men in black following you...and those clicks on your phone line.

HattiFattner I think I love you!

ROFL

It's not my problem as I don't even live in the UK. In a world where Cameron takes arms dealers with him on a jolly to Egypt post revolution there's not alot to marvel at.

If the census is such a cuddly, decent all round PROPER thing to do (as I'm sure it was once upon a time) why the hell get a foreign arms dealer to carry it out? Just a thought. The UK prides itself on being more democratic and morally superior to so many other countries (the ones it sells arms to for example) yet Brits don't seem to notice just how controlled they are. I'm glad don't live there anymore.

The government's cutting all those services that you seem sure the census is intended to improve. Tad ironic, isn't it? I'll just light another spliff shall I.

You have got to be the rudest person I've come across on here Fattner. Very bitchily implying that anyone who dares question the benign intentions of the gov in doing this census is paranoid. I wish I had such blind faith in our leaders as you so obviously do. Your world must be such a simpler place.

nost - may I call you nost?

You have got to be the rudest person I've come across on here Fattner. OOOOh i so devastated at you using the second part of my name in an attempt to insult me. That was a truly clever insult for someone of your towering intellect.

Your responses beg the question....As you dont live in this country,what the fuck do you care? You dont have to complete a form, so your secrets are safe!

Census is not down to GOVERNMENT - its down to PARLIAMENT. Yep, Labour, Tory, Coalition - they've been doing it for years and thats clearly whats caused the banking crisis, the housing market crisis and the increase in wheat prices. We are being manipulated! Time to stock up the panic room with beans and candles folks!

Census has been around for millenia, and is done in over 200 countries in the world. Are we all be monitored by the secret service? Does the CIA really have manpower to worry that Mrs and Mrs Brown of Chaffinch drive, in Basingstoke, have gas central heating in their mortgaged bungalow? that Mrs J Winthorpe, 65, of Milton Keynes, stayed with them overnight on 27th March? They will be planning their entire defence budget around this fact!

Get a grip Nost.

I understand the defensive attitude ner but refrain from being quite so aggressive just because I'm not as blasé as you about a foreign arms manufacturers managing this census. Your trusting nature of all things parliamentary and death 'n' destruction wreaking for profit is touching. Enjoy your job! Night.

Glastnost - so rather than encouraging Lockheed to find more civilian revenue streams, we should say ' fuck off, go and make some more thumb screws'?

The Lockheed connection is a red-herring, I believe, for the wannabee non-conformist to cling onto. If it were any other company running the census data-capture operation the same group would be find something they objected to there as well.

coalition if you think handing over the management of the census should be for the rehabilitation of criminals then, yes, I suppose your suggestion has a certain logic as - in my eyes -arms manufacturerers are criminals of the worst kind. Much better for them to be doing this than making and flogging Trident missiles, F16 bombers, cluster bombs etc (not quite thumb screws). But when I last checked, the collating of the census data is not on the list of rehabilitative activites.

Lockheed Martin also writes the software for Echelon the global surveillance network btw. So what? you trusting of power types reply. If Lockheed weren't American but of a different nationality none of you would have a problem with that? Why was the contract awarded to them anyway? Did they chuck in a few missiles to sweeten the bid? Questions that the less trusting of us pause to ponder.

And chil when the census wasn't contracted out to any dodgy foreign tom dick or mary I had no problem with it.

censusalert.org.uk/lockheed_martin.html

anyone simply curious to know more should read this

I think your anti-American 'dodgy foreigner' argument is based on nothing more than cyncism and prejudice. The contract was awarded in 2008, presumably on criteria such as competence, cost, quality etc. Missiles?

From the press release at the time...

The contract awarded to Lockheed Martin UK is to design the processing systems to capture the data and to coordinate the day-to-day running of operational services provided by a consortium of
UK and European partners. ONS staff are responsible for the design of census procedures and
field operations, quality assurance, secondary processing, analysis and the publication of results.

Glen Watson, ONS Census director, commented: ?The protection given to personal census data has always been very strong ? ONS takes data security and the confidentiality of personal information
extremely seriously. The security and protection of personal information is a top priority for the census. ?All the information collected is owned by ONS, it is protected by law and it will not leave the UK. We have also put stringent operational
and contractual processes and safeguards in place to maintain data security and confidentiality.?

Well if a government wonk said it it must be true. They never lie to us do they? I'm not cynical at all. I happen to think it's immoral to manufacture and deal arms. And I don't trust this multinational with links to Cheney (his wife and son are lobbyists). You do. Fine.

Coalition - there is a difference between being trusting of power and asking conspiracy theorists to provide a credible threat that there conspiracy poses.

It is nonsensical to say that because one part of a company does something you disagree with that EVERYTHING else they do must also be to further that same end.

To take a MNetty example it's like saying that as Nestle promote formula milk that KitKats must also secretly be part of a plan to promote formula milk.

On the other hand it IS perfectly coherent to sat "I won't buy KitKats because I don't support that companies other actions"

If the UK Government said "We won't use Lockheed because we dissaprove of arms trading" that might cause a few issues in the MoD.

Damn I seem to be talking to myself there - the first Coalition should obv. have been glasnost

I don't buy kitkats for that very reason coalition but noone fines me a grand if I don't eat them! Or threaten to chuck me in prison. Everyone MUST do the census. There's no choice.

glasnost - that's because you aren't the consumer of the census, but you are the consumer of the KitKat.

You don't have a commercial relationship with Lockheed you have a legal relationship with HMG.

Or in fact the non-consumer of the KitKat.