What happens when the intrusive census goes wrong..?

Cats get summonsed to do jury service.

No, I'm not kidding, click the link.

That kind of farcical mix-up becomes more likely, the more questions you ask - and this year's census is the most intrusive yet. We warned you about the census before the last election. The Tories agreed that it was invasive and intrusive... But now they're implementing it, unchanged.

By Alex Deane

Comments

[Rupert Matthews]

So, the Tories in opposition oppose big government ideas. Now they are in government they support big government ideas. And we are surprised?

[T.England. Very working class.]

Spyblog have an interesting look at how the media will cover the census.
http://p10.hostingprod.com/@spyblog.org.uk/blog/

[Steve Jolly]

The UK 2011 Census is being contracted out by the Office of National Statistics to the U.S arms company Lockheed Martin, 80% of whose business is with the US Department of Defense and other Federal Government agencies. The company also provides intelligence and surveillance work and boasts of its ability to provide ‘integrated threat information’ that combines information from many different sources. I wonder if our Census information might be very valuable to Lockheed Martin’s intelligence work?

And guess what? the US Patriot Act 'allows' personal data held by companies in the US to be made available to intelligence agencies.

Oh, but don't worry, in 2008 the UK Treasury Minister Angela Eagle told MPs that the government had received 'legal assurances this would not happen:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7231186.stm

So there's no need to worry; everything is just fine. Move along now, nothing to see here.

[Richard Craven]

Just refuse. I always do. Sure, they always threaten me, but it's only bluster.

[NeverSurrender]

I agree with Richard. I have always refused to complete a census and have lived to tell the tale.

[Richard Craven]

Indeed so. Estimates of the numbers who refused in 2001 vary from 1.5m to 3m people, only 38 of whom where prosecuted according to the ONS. So, even assuming non-compliance levels comparable with 2001, the probability of an individual being prosecuted is approximately 0.000012-0.000025. Moreover, we can expect the government's announcement that this is to be the final census to significantly boost the levels of non-compliance, which will further decrease the probability of prosecution in individual cases.

[Winston Smith]

The Telegraph had an interesting article about this last year:

"Ministers have now signalled a new ‘get tough’ approach towards non-compliance. Under the 1920 Census Act, citizens can be be cautioned under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act and fined £1,000 for failing to answer questions.

"However the powers have not been properly enforced previously. In 2001 just 38 people were fined for not filling in their forms.

"The Government has now announced that a special “non-compliance unit” will force people to fill in their forms. Those that refuse to will be able to be interviewed under caution using the Police and Criminal Evidence Act, taken to court and fined."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/7043822/Households-face-1000-fines-from-officials-with-police-powers-if-they-refuse-to-fill-in-their-census-forms.html

Here is the job description:

"As a Non Compliance Officer (NCO) you will be paired with a Non Compliance Assistant (NCA) to investigate census refusals, this is where people have refused to complete their census form as required by law. You will be dealing with members of the public who may be resistant to your requests and you will need to be able to manage confrontational situations. The work involves knocking on doors, talking to householders and, if they persist in refusing to complete a census questionnaire, you will conduct a refusal process which will include formal "Interview Under Caution"."

https://censusjobs.co.uk/fe/tpl_cens...p?newms=info45

Alex, could you explain more about the legal side of things here please. I'm mystified that a temporary census employee apparently has the right to interview me under caution using the Police and Criminal Evidence Act. Thanks.

[Richard Craven]

I suspect that they're going to find it rather difficult to persuade us to submit to these interviews.

[DunxD]

One can complete a census form online or send by post. How will they be able to verify who did or did not complete a form.

The "householder" is responsible for completing the form.

Details are only required for everyone in household on census day.

These are all make prosecution terribly hard I would imagine.

If only they had engaged Facebook to conduct the census :-)

[Pete Fullskip]

Is there a way of saying in advance to the governmrnt in a way that carries legal weight that I refuse to comply with the census?

[Rachel]

So, the government refuse to answer questions about their actions in deciding to go to war in Iraq, but they nonetheless feel they've got a right to know the colour of the person you sleep with? No, that's not a police state at all. The sheep who co-operate with this farce deserve all they get in the way of further intrusion on their private lives and reduction of their human rights that will surely follow: if you let governments away with small abuses, that's what leads to greater abuses.

[Jack Aldridge]

To answer the question posted by Winston Smith:
An interview under caution is no special privilege granted these workers who are still just civilians. Anyone can interview anyone "under caution", it just means you are recording the evidence down in a certain way, so that it can be used in court.

Many organisations will use such tactics to try and intimidate people (TV licencing "enforcers" for example). You have every right not to answer and to just slam the door in their face, and that's what I suggest you do.

[bigsantaboy]

Proving once more how ridiculous the thing is and the so called answer "faqs" are ,especially the part about,"if you don't fill the form in,you risk,could,can,may be fined and g

et a criminal record" .

Well, certain people in jail are also "legally required " to fill one in.So ,what happens if they just bin the form ?Do they risk a fine and "another" criminal record .

Bloody government and the stupid sheeple who follow them .

http://psi.hmprisonservice.gov.uk/psi_2011_02_census_2011.doc

[robert ormrod]

I already intend to refuse point blank to fill out thier census and even refuse to pay any fine, and if they threaten me with jail, then so be it, I will declare independence and declare war on all of the authoritive state government employees. and once i declare war, they will have to kill me to stop me.

[Sweetiepie]

Pete, maybe you could say you´re a conscientious objector and have no wish to be associated with weapons of war which Lockheed Martin make, who are being paid to do the census

[pete]

The problem is not actually refusing compliance, but to stand out publicly as doing so for ideological reasons rather than bloody-mindedness which can just be ignored by the government/media. Possibilities might be a 'Declaration under Oath' in front of a JP in advance. However, the JP might refuse to administer such a declaration, so its back to square one. Several solicitor friends have shaken their heads and said that theres no easy answer.

[Chris]

What if some of the millions who are non-compliant with this census decided to send their forms back in sealed envelopes containing deadly biological matter to government offices?
Within hours some of the evil fascist-capitalist
supporters of the Con-Lib Alliance would be destroyed. This government is shutting down our libraries etc. to pay the debts of the rich, at the same time as paying huge sums of money to census officers to knock on our doors, intimidate us, force private information from us. They do not ask in the forms "What do you need?. Greed is a sin, and this country is controlled by evil people in suits and ties:their time will come.

[pete]

Well, we're just about there, date-wise. Any ideas re forming a face-to-face support group of census refusers while preserving privacy until trust is established?

[pete]

Are magistrate court proceedings recorded as rigourously as crown court stuff; ie are legal precedents as significant in the former as in the latter? It looks as if Liberty is not getting involved this time round, at least not at this stage.

[Miss G]

Ive just recieved a letter stating that my details will be passed on to a non-compliance unit who may "instigate prosecution proceedings"

Im a law obiding single female, on the electoral register and the NHS payroll system, yet still they dont know my name?? WTF!! They can stick their "instigate prosecution proceedings" up their arse....If I am considered a criminal due to non-compliance of form filling then so be it... what a joke.

My freedom of speech, privacy and values are worth a 1000 times more than a mingy fine and I will not be bullied into giving them what they want..... Same as the TV licience people, despite not having had a TV in over 8 years, they still harrass me after signing several declaration... I enjoy wasting thier time now, because they deserve it!!

Good luck to those of us who persevere!! :D

Miss G , London

[Paris]

Hi!
I have just had a visit from a Non compliance officer and another person asking me that I had refused to sign the census. I said I had not, I hadn't received it as I have been away a lot. They tried to persuade me to fill in the form on my door step, luckily I was still in my dressing gown so I told them I was not well. They are going to be coming back, where do I stand with this? I will also be moving from this property at the end of the month. How likely is it I will get a criminal record if I don't fill it in? Do they try and prosecute first? I intend to not answer my door to anyone for the next month!