Over TB's Dead Body
You couldn't
make it up
:The nation’s sleeping arrangements are to come under scrutiny in the next countrywide census, it has emerged.
The 2011 survey will include questions on the number of bedrooms in a person’s home, as well as the name, sex and birth-date of any overnight visitors.
Nick Hurd, the Shadow Cabinet Office Minister, yesterday called it a “snooper” census, hitting out at “invasive and intrusive” new demands."
“Just because the Government has the legal powers to ask these questions does not give the State the licence to ask anything they want.
“These bedroom snoopers are yet another sign of how the Labour Government has no respect for the privacy of law-abiding citizens.”
Now don't get TB wrong, he knows how useful census data can be in tracing long lost connections and has no problem volunteering his name and address for this, and only this purpose, however a line has very very much been crossed here. For a government to feel it is necessary to track relationships between it's citizens is mind boggling, what possible use could this data be?
Are they building a National Spare Room Database, as Ollie in the Thick of It once suggests for a bit of policy on the hoof? Perhaps it's a database of prolific shaggers, the National Fornication Files? Or is it something more sinister than that? TB will be putting a line through this section of the census if it is passed by MPs and suggests that you all do so also.
They can't fine us all.
Posts
12 comments:
Come come now, don't be shy
Just do the following
Guest: Lord Fondlebum of Boy
Room: Gimp Cellar
As I
There used to be a saying in the United States: “Democrats put their noses into our wallets and Republicans into our bedrooms.” Interestingly, here in the UK, the Labour party put their noses into both our wallets and bedrooms. Damn they’re effective.
Well, I can supply the names and genders of overnight visitors here at "Chateau John", but as for Fifi's, Kelly's and Robbie's birth dates — well, I'd have to ask their owners.
I know Kelly is about two years old now; and if I also need to include colour I'd have to put "tabby"…
Personally I'm only too happy to admit to having 2 transgender Hungarian Nazis staying overnight in my spare room! (Funny, they only come over when there's a big census on, and they do their own washing)
Imagine the statisticians faces when the list of Jedi's etc builds up.
Not to mention Mr J of Nazareth and his mum - she's so nice . . .
Come on TB, where's your creativity? This is an opportunity not an imposition!
Will Jimmy Snot declare his rent boy on that evening?
No problem. Our guest that night will be a Mr F. Off and I shall be very happy so to advise Her Majesty's government.
I looked into this yesterday. it seems that it will only be for overnight guests on a particular day, not, say, over the last 6 months. I think what they'll find is that on that particular day, no-one in the country has any overnight guests at all.
at least not officially... :)
I plan to be in a hotel that night or, for preference, in another country entirely.
If you had done the least of research you would have learned that since the census started in 1841, visitors have been included.
In the quaint language of the time....
"The column heading asked for 'Names of each person who abode therein the preceding Night'. If the name of the person was not known, it was recorded as N.K."
Well I know their sex, but names and dates of birth? If I'd known they wanted to know that, I'd have kept a guestbook...
Has nobody considered that this census provides a chunk of the information for re-rating of council tax bands?
Oh, last night, let me see..... In Wanda's room, we had, um, John, I think his name was.
There was also a John in Marie Celeste's room...........Oh, but he was gone by 11 and, after that, there was another John.........