Last week the British public was subjected to the 2011 Census. The penalty for not filling out your form is supposedly £1000, although less than 100 people were fined back in 2001. There have been a lot of complaints about the forms, and I’m not at all sure why.
Some say it is too intrusive. I wholeheartedly disagree with this. It doesn’t ask you about your sexual preference, your wage, your lifestyle, whether you smoke or drink, your hobbies and commitments, how you spend your money, hell, even if you’re a Satanists you can abstain from answering the question about religion. It asks very general questions about your health, your work and your living arrangements. You don’t give anywhere near enough information which the evil powers that be can use to exploit you.
Some have said it is too long and time consuming. I can confirm that I’ve spent twice as long on this blog thus far, which probably says more about me than the contents of my Census form.
It is wrong that they got arms manufacturer Lockheed Martin to help with the logistics however. It seems like a bizarre choice and should probably be explained properly by the people involved.
On the whole, though, I like the Census. I like the idea of a little snap shot of British history being taken. So I’m happy to do it, and I look forward to doing it again in 10 years time. Oh, and I didn’t put my religion as Jedi.
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