April 05, 2011

Scottish Census Rebellion! UPDATED To Include UK

A massive 30% of Scots have said no to the Census.

My heart, she is filled with joy.

Look:

"AROUND 700,000 households in Scotland had failed to return their census questionnaires a week after they were due to be completed.

Registrar General for Scotland Duncan Macniven said 1.8 million forms had been sorted by Royal Mail or filled in online, but 30% of the surveys had yet to be returned. "

Full story here.

And, I guess I should expect a letter:

"Warning letters are already going out to around 200 people who have indicated that they will refuse to take part."

Can't wait.

Seems many of us are saying no:



Good work peeps!!

CR.

38 comments:

Smoking Hot said...

There's an army of 6000 waiting to come and find you!

Man the barracades! Hoist the flag! Standy to repel boarders! :)

Woodsy42 said...

Oh dear, I have just returned from abroad and think I lost my form.

George Speller said...

News of English resistance has been buried presumably.

The other day a columnist in the Telegraph said that the census helpline told her they had sent 24 million reminders out - this seems hard to believe - I haven't seen one yet. Anybody know?

Smoking Hot said...

I dont have an address ... l feel left out! :)

Sue said...

Good on you people of Scotland!

What a feisty bunch you are :)

I have a feeling that you are not going to be the only ones.

Anonymous said...

I work as a tutor at a University and one of my students told me he had a new job. "What?" I asked. "Census collecting," he replied. Apparently they are going to be going door to door to see why people didn't answer it and offering "help" if they had trouble filling it in. £8 an hour, apparently.

Anonymous said...

The magnificent seven.

Well done Scotland.

Anonymous said...

I expect you saw my post on tpuc.org

WitteringsfromWitney said...

CR: You may rest assured that I am one of those who, come hell or high water, ain't filling it in!

I am just exercising my legal right to shun something that falls foul of the MIsrepresentation Act.

George Speller said...

BBC R3 news reported "nearly three quarters of census forms had been returned in England and Wales" - that's what I call spin - in other words more tyhan 25% of households have failed to respond. How many households is that?

Now waiting to see if the news gets buried again.

mescalito said...

i haven't had a reminder? they can knock all day long if they like they aint getting an answer :)

£8 an hour! that's fucking disgusting!

my partner works 12 hour shifts looking after those with dementia and
alzheimer's and she only gets minimum wage!

someday said...

You are not required to answer the door.

"Security reasons."

That is also my excuse for not filling out the form.

William said...

I am practising the art of ignorance and it is proving to be as equally effective as using the word NO at every opportunity.

The census was ignored and the ONS purple paper package was turned into ash. Any £8 an hour twonk knocking on a door when I am on the other side of it will be similarly ignored.

You don't tell the 'opposition' what you are going to do beforehand you just do it!

Ben said...

I'm going to be out of the house as much as possible and to ignore every knock on the door. But how long do you think it will be before the £8ph student goons go away?

Broken Briton said...

As a freemen, I am one of those people refusing to fill in the census. I have written to the Queen demanding to see a lawful contract with my own signature on it saying that I have agreed to provide this information to Her government. As I have had no reply I am assuming their is no lawful basis for filling the census.

I may well be taken to court, but if the court is not lawful, any sentence will not be binding on my real human personhood, only my corporate identity. I warn anybody else in this case to not let themselves be sent into the dock, as this then makes them a vessel bound by admiralty law, under the "four corners of the earth" legal doctrine - the dock is, of course, a four-sided enclosure.

Captain Ranty said...

Anon (8:31),

Dave, is that you?

If so, then yes. That's where I found the link.

Will hat-tip later. Off to the dentist.

CR.

Woodsy42 said...

There is a BBC story here
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-12981374
Whether you can believe the numbers is a matter of debate.

Jiks said...

"Seven million households which have failed to fill in and return the census in England and Wales are being warned that they face a knock on the door from officials."

Oh, a knock on the door, I'm terrified. Fuck you and horse you rode in on "officials."

dangermouse said...

no reminders in the UK as far as I can tell. None of us have completed them (at all) = 5 households. Let them come.

Anonymous said...

"nearly three quarters of census forms had been returned in England and Wales"

That probably means just over half - possible less...

Anonymous said...

Probably alone of those here, I have returned my census form. Blessed as I am with classical doctors' handwriting, I suspect the form will take some deciphering. I also became rather confused filling it out, possibly due to a quantity of rather good real ale consumed at the time. As a result my room counts may be somewhat inaccurate, and the number of cars I own may be off somewhat.

On a more devious note, I decided to let my imagination out for a wander where the name on the census form was concerned, and used one that whilst technically correct I have never used on any form (or indeed anywhere at all) before.

So, if in future persons address me by this most unique of appellations, I shall know whence the information has originated, and shall tell all and sundry of my findings in this matter. 100 year confidentiality? We shall see, friends, we shall see...

James Higham said...

Does that mean the Scots have more sense than us?

Anonymous said...

I just happened to be out of the country at the applicable time. Again.

Beast Of No Nation said...

Even my dear old Nan has decided to give the census a miss. She even offered to pay for some census rebellion flyers we posted around the local neighbourhood...saying it would be her bit to help lawful rebellion.

By the way Cap'n added you to my blogroll, hope that's ok. No idea how to sign in on here though as it is a wordpress blog. This is the link.

http://bruteforceandignorance.wordpress.com/

Anonymous said...

Like the good Doctor above I too was rather "in my cups" when I finally got round to getting rid of the damn thing.

I put my occupation as "drone".

Anonymous said...

Ah hang on think I worked it out. Silly me.

Captain Ranty said...

Great comments so far!

I never thought I was alone in this, but it is fantastic to know I will be sharing a cell with some feisty people!!

CR.

Captain Ranty said...

Beast,

I checked out your site and I was alarmed to see that you are an Awkward Sod.

Which is, of course, the only qualification you need to make it onto my blogroll.

Welcome!

CR.

Anonymous said...

I am honoured Cap'n.

I thought it was time to jump on in for the big win.

Beast.

The Travelling Toper said...

I only had a green ink pen and because I couldn't find my glasses I think most of the answers had words that straddled the dividing blocks on the form.Unfortunately because of the rush to fill it in and keep on the right side of the ONS there may also be one or two items of incorrect information that have inadvertenly crept in. Still I'm sure they'll still manage to provide all the services I need for the next ten years.

Maddie said...

Had the drones knocking the door today.. ignored it and got a reminder shoved in the letterbox (England)

Captain Ranty said...

Beasty,

The honour is mine.

We need all the warriors we can get.

CR.

Captain Ranty said...

TTT,

Sneaky.

I like it!

CR.

Captain Ranty said...

Maddie,

I salute you!

Resistance is all we need to make them futile.

CR.

Captain Ranty said...

CD,

I knew you'd give fuck all away without a fight!

The malts are on me when we hook up again.

Stay well,

CR.

Zaphod said...

Census rebellion?

We, the great british public, can be relied on when apathy and inaction is called for! :-)

Anonymous said...

My feeling is that the first action is not to confirm your name when these stooges come a-knocking. Therefore refusing to enter into a contract with them. Your name, corporate or personal, seems to be the coathook on which everything subsequently hangs.
There doesn't seem to be much legal information available as to how one lawfully resists these agents of tyranny; maybe because the legal profession is completely bought and sold, and there for its own interests, and the State's.
I joined the BCG recently; they seem to be the only force for good in a definitely evil and corrupt system.

Anonymous said...

>An army of 6000 temporary staff is standing by to visit householders over the next two weeks ... There is no official cut-off date for that

Actually, there is. Have a look at the Census Jobs page, and learn what hours they work. Census Collectors (door knockers who ask people who haven't returned the census to do so in person) are employed from 21/03/2011 to 06/05/2011, 2pm-9pm (Monday to Friday) and 10am-9pm (Saturday and Sunday). Non Compliance Officers (second level door knockers to deal with those who have explicitly refused the Census Collectors) are employed from 26/04/2011 to 19/08/2011, 9am-8pm (Monday to Friday) and 10am-4pm (Saturday).

Don't answer the door, don't get done.

Please make this information widely available.