• This topic has 102 replies, 58 voices, and was last updated 13 years ago by Keva.
Viewing 23 posts - 81 through 103 (of 103 total)
  • The National Census.
  • Drac
    Full Member

    Alfa and Crank are right since the last census the Government has spent millions teaching Jedi classes in Schools.

    MrsToast
    Free Member

    Alfa and Crank are right since the last census the Government has spent millions teaching Jedi classes in Schools.

    Although I feel the lessons aren’t demanding enough since they prohibited the use of real lightsabres and laser firing remote balls in the classroom, all in the name of health and safety. Psssht!

    Kids are leaving the system thinking they’re full Jedis, but they’re barely padawans. Disgraceful!

    Drac
    Full Member

    Jedi exams are getting easier every year that’s the problem.

    Torminalis
    Free Member

    I thought I cleared this up last time we had this thread but here we go again…

    Jedi was assigned its own code in the United Kingdom for census processing, the number 896.[15] Officials from the Office for National Statistics pointed out that this merely means that it has been registered as a common answer to the “religion” question and that this does not confer on it the status of official recognition. John Pullinger, Director of Reporting and Analysis for the Census, noted that many people who would otherwise not have completed a Census form did so solely to record themselves as Jedi, so this joke helped to improve the quality of the Census. The Office of National Statistics revealed the total figure in a press release entitled “390,000 Jedis there are”

    from here.

    This implies to me that only those people who fit into an official religion will be counted as religious and Jedi’s are not amongst them.

    It goes on to say…

    In June 2005, Jamie Reed, newly-elected Labour Member of Parliament for Copeland in Cumbria, declared himself to be the first Jedi Member of Parliament during his maiden speech.

    and

    in April 2006, Edward Leigh, the Conservative Member of Parliament for Gainsborough, asked whether he would be allowed to set up a Jedi knights faith school during a Committee debate on the Education and Inspections Bill

    To my mind this would imply that Jedi is used to make a point by many people from the man in the street to our parliamentary representatives.

    Those that are piously appealing to our citizenly sense of duty are suffering not only from a bit of a sense of humour failure but also from a woeful misinterpretation of the spirit of the joke.

    MTFBWY.

    Elfinsafety
    Free Member

    Just put ‘no religion’.

    Or do you have a desire and longing to ‘belong’ to some group or other?

    Balls to it; just put what you want; you’re entitled to be a knob I spose. It’s your Human Right in fact. 🙂

    crankboy
    Free Member

    All the religions have there own code it’s not that this meant that Jedi was excluded from religious last time.

    And yes the educational provision for Jedi children is woeful.However the number of Jedi went in to the total number of religious believers and therefore impacted on overall funding and influence for those with invisible friends.

    I’m sorry if I’m treating this too seriously but i do think it is kind of important.

    Torminalis
    Free Member

    Or do you have a desire and longing to ‘belong’ to some group or other?

    Don’t we all? No shame in that, though Jedi would not be my answer it did make me laugh that more people are prepared to put Jedi than Jew.

    Torminalis
    Free Member

    However the number of Jedi went in to the total number of religious believers and therefore impacted on overall funding and influence for those with invisible friends.

    That is absolute rubbish. In the Official Census Report last time around, Sikhism was listed as the fourth largest religion, no mention at all of Jedi’s. You are wrong, accept it and stop spoiling the fun.

    From the ONS website:

    A campaign on the internet claimed – wrongly – that Jedi, the belief system at the heart of the Star Wars films, would receive official government recognition as a religion if enough people quoted it on their Census forms. An email in support of the campaign, quoted by BBC News, invited people to ‘do it because you love Star Wars… or just to annoy people.’

    It makes no difference to the amount of money spent on faith schools or the number of bishops in the Lords you po faced, boring, humourless oaf.

    ahwiles
    Free Member

    crankboy – Member

    Put Atheist or no religion if that is what you really are.

    probably a sensible idea.

    at best, declaring yourself to be a jedi will achieve nothing at all.

    at worst, religionists will use you to claim even more influence, funding, tax breaks, air time, etc.

    unfortunately.

    Drac
    Full Member

    However the number of Jedi went in to the total number of religious believers and therefore impacted on overall funding and influence for those with invisible friends.

    Only in your head.

    buzz-lightyear
    Free Member

    From that article: “People in the UK are suspicious of anyone that tries to make lists.”

    Damn right.

    LycraLout
    Free Member

    Just put ‘no religion’.

    Quote of last week was from some humanist on radio scotland railing against the wording of the religion question. morning show and not fully awake so missed his point but his parting shot was “look, if you’re not religious, for god’s sake just tick no religion”

    bwoolymbr
    Free Member

    The supposedly ‘private’ data is to be shared with all 27 EU member states and any/all private companies that those governments wish to share it with, as seen here and this site explains all about it and breaks down the reasons the government gives for what is a blatant breach of privacy laws and human rights legislation.

    The census is nothing more than a method by which the government can gleam the information required in order to raise taxes further and cut benefits / public spending. They have the majority of this information on file already from the electoral roll, National Insurance database, DVLA etc. and they are just lazy funkers than can’t be bothered to collate it themselves.

    Just cross out your address and write “No Contract – Return to sender” on it and post it back to them. I for one have not signed any contract with Lockheed Martin, or the government agreeing to provide them with my personal information, so they can p right off!

    Elfinsafety
    Free Member

    Lords you po faced, boring, humourless oaf

    What about ciabata then?

    molgrips
    Free Member

    So why did they leave it out of the English version then, how odd.

    At a guess to make life easier for the scanners. Then all subsequent questions will be in the same place on the forms.

    Out of interest, is there a Gaelic or Scots question in Scotland or NI?

    alfabus
    Free Member

    The stuff I read (and posted) about the religion question said that the top level summary produced last time counted Jedi in with the religions (as in, all those who had selected a religion or other), but in the drilled down report it had them separated.

    It seems to me that if a policy maker wants to justify something like faith schools, that top-level summary would be all they need.

    No Religion for me.

    Dave

    simonralli2
    Free Member

    I feel grumpy – what Nationality is that ?

    Strictly speaking, surely Dwarfish and not Snow White?

    Helios
    Free Member

    simonralli2 – Member

    I feel grumpy – what Nationality is that ?

    Strictly speaking, surely Dwarfish and not Snow White?

    I think you are missing the humorous pun or play on words based on “feel” meaning either to experience a sensation, or (more amusingly) to grope…

    HTH

    (personally I spat coffee when I read it…)

    glenp
    Free Member

    I’m waking up to the census deserving more than just being taken at face value.

    For starters I’m not happy with Lockheed Marting running the whole thing.

    In 2001, I’ve just read, three million people declined to cooperate with the census. Less than 100 were prosecuted.

    I’m by no means committed to doing it.

    Elfinsafety
    Free Member

    Wunundred! 😀

    TiRed
    Full Member

    Tescos probably knows as much as vastly more about the people Clubcard holders doing the census

    Fixed that for you. The government will never know your annual toilet roll/babyfood/condom… expenditure by brand. Seriously, Tesco realized early on that people will sacrifice some very private personal details for a 5% saving. It’s a mutual contract whose implications can be seen on any midweek half-term holiday at an attraction near you! Your contract with the government is less rewarding.

    miketually
    Free Member

    The few people who put Jedi over no religion will make no difference.

    Those who put CofE or Catholic or whatever because they went to a christening once or got married in a church are where the inflated religion numbers will come from.

    Keva
    Free Member

    Just cross out your address and write “No Contract – Return to sender” on it and post it back to them.

    exactly. I’m not completing it.

    Kev

Viewing 23 posts - 81 through 103 (of 103 total)

The topic ‘The National Census.’ is closed to new replies.