Albert Beale will be boycotting the 2011 census because of the nature of the census itself. He argues that whilst it might have once been accurate and socially useful (and fascinating for people tracing their family history), it is now inaccurate, intrusive, and promoted in misleading ways. Below he explains why:
It’s argued that “the census evolved into an instrument to plan public
services”. Yet, after 200 years of the census, this country still lacks fair
and sufficient services for everyone. And we don’t need a census to tell us
that.
We don’t need a census to tell us which school buildings are leaking, or
which medical treatments are only available to private patients, or which
libraries and post offices have been closed. At best, the census helps the
rich to ration services for the poor a little more efficiently.
And even this “efficiency” is largely a thing of the past. Partly because
the methods of conducting the census have changed, with fewer personal visits to
each household (to save money of course), and partly because of people’s
increasing scepticism and mistrust (over confidentiality and the nature of
the questions), the last two counts have been recognised as being
increasingly inaccurate.
If the census were simply a rigorous headcount, with only the most basic
details of people’s lives recorded, there might be fewer objections. But,
increasingly, questions have been added which many people don’t want to
answer. When confronted with a demand to register my “ethnicity” it makes me
think I’ve gone back in time to Nazi Germany, or apartheid South Africa. I
would never agree to answer such a question.
People conscientiously objecting to some parts of the census, who just opt
out of certain questions, find themselves liable to prosecution. But it is,
on the other hand, simple and without legal risk if you choose to avoid it
completely. I should know – I have boycotted the last three with no trouble
at all. I shall certainly be taking no part in this year’s.
Albert Beale (censusboycott@britain.com)
PS:
I’ve just been given this website link – so for anyone not wanting to try to receive a 10Mb MP3 by e-mail, the radio discussion which focusses especially on the race question in the census is at: http://www.mixcloud.com/tag/albert-beale/
From:
Albert Beale (worldpeace@gn.apc.org)
1) If anyone is interested in further thoughts on my opposition to the “race/ethnicity” question – an issue which I don’t think is much discussed on this Count Me Out website – they can ask me to send them a clip of a 10-minute radio discussion I took part in which focussed especially (though not exclusively) on that particular aspect. I have a file in MP3 format which I could e-mail.
2) I don’t usually reply to anonymous comments – so who are you, “Puzzled of Tyneside”? I will say, in response to your question as to whether census boycotters live in market towns – no, I live in London WC1. But I’m not interested in engaging in further discussion as to why I think your arguments are invalid unless you post your comments as openly as I post mine.
I think that the government has proven time and again that they doesn’t need an excuse or reason to carry on their programs of “austerity” and cutbacks against anyone, be they city-dwellers or country folk.
Just read the piece in the Guardian about this campaign. Wondered if it was a particularly clever Tory front organisation. The impact being to carry yet further the already fairly dramatic programme of redistributing funding from local authorities in poor areas to local authorities in Tory England. Obviously I don’t know where any of you live, and you may all be market-town radicals, depriving home counties councils of future revenue support. But I rather guess you’re predominantly city-dwellers — and are in the process of giving Government another reason to cut back the money for urban services, by shrinking their measured populations.