A response to Amy Selman

Over at Conservative Home, Amy Selman has written an extended response to former Big Brother Watch Director Alex Deane's recent article entitled "Why I won't be completing the Census".

The central point of Amy's article appears to centre around her - we believe, misguided - belief that the completing the Census is part of her "patriotic duty as a British citizen" which will help ascertain a picture of how Britain looks today and assist in the planning of public services.  

In one respect, Amy is correct; it will indeed assist the government inobtaining a picture of the way modern day Britain looks.  At the same time, it will serve as a duplication of the information government already holds on us. 

In particular, she makes reference to how Census data will be able to help central government establish "changing demographics" - a factor which can already be effectively monitored by examining local trends in income tax records, the level of people in an individual area in receipt of unemployment benefits and so on.

On an issue such as immigration, another topic she chooses to highlight as an area in which government "needs statistical evidence", the Census is an ineffective tool for achieving this objective.  Back in 2001, more than three million households failed to complete their Census forms - the majority of which coming from homes in which English literacy skills were lowest and inward immigration at its highest.  So as to ensure such communities were reflected in the final figures, the Office of National Statistics were forced to resort to estimated figures in order to establish something even closely resembling reality.  Would it not be more sensible for bodies such as local schools or health facilities to provide the ONS with anonymised figures relating ethnicity of their pupils and patients?

Ought the government really to be spending £500 million on a form-filling exercise to establish what they already know about the state of the UK?

Such arguments are, however, less important than the principle of personal privacy.  For the government to threaten each householder with a fine of £1,000 for failing to divulge sensitive personal information about the way they live their lives is a chilling manifestation of the sorry relationship between the state and the individual in modern day Britain.

In her article, Amy says we "need stronger policies to return power to each citizen over his or her data".  That starts with ending a compulsory national census.

Comments

[Andrew Withers (LPUK)]

Then why has Germany not had a census since 1987 after the constitutional court ruled it as 'instrusive' Amy ?

[Richard Craven]

"In her article, Amy says we 'need stronger policies to return power to each citizen over his or her data'. That starts with ending a compulsory national census."

Damn right. Well said.

[Purlieu]

Really, in the 21st century, there are so many ways to get data now, perhaps a census every 25 years might be sufficient ?

[Alex Deane]

The confidentiality of personal data in the Census 2011 is not guaranteed: http://bit.ly/gwGV40