US arms company and UK census

[woodavens]

http://censusalert.org.uk/index.html

I'm another person who doesn't normally do these petitions*, but the prospect of a US arms company being contracted to run the next UK census sends shivers down my spine.

*yes, I've also signed the HE funding one.

Comments

[7rin]

You might wanna nose at the replies I've had to posting the same subject: in my LJ; in LJ_UK.

Personally though, I'd much rather pass on that particular word and get laughed at, than find out too late that I should've passed on the word.

[woodavens]

Thanks ... In any case, though, I'd have to be given extraordinarily compelling reasons to overturn my revulsion at the idea of my taxes giving any business whatever to any company engaged in the arms trade. (Yes, I know they - my taxes - already do, in other spheres. The less it happens, the better.)

[perplexed_seal]

fwiw you'd be hard pressed to find any systems integrator large enough to deal with the contract requirement that doesn't have a significant defence practice; Accenture is about the only one I can think of and that's not because they're not trying to develop it as a revenue stream.

Also any effort to downselect them based on this is in direct contravention of both the EU and the WTO regulations on competitive selection.

[woodavens]

No doubt you're right, and I'm not actually expecting one of these petitions to change anything, whether it's the UK government's contracting preferences or the revision of EU/WTO regulations. For me, though, it's about creating a scream every now and again when I find I'm more-than-usually appalled by something that's being done in my name and with my taxes. I don't have the option of preventing my taxes supporting the arms trade, not or refusing UK collaboration with the US government or US military, but I can occasionally add to a scream about it.

I don't imagine that anyone is likely to alter their own opinions as a result. I assume that you, for instance, disagree with me. But another thing these petitions do is raise a discussion, in a field where too much is simply taken for granted. Given the current state of UK politics, I need to scream occasionally; you do, too, probably, but perhaps about different things.

It's all very depressing ...

[_pyromancer_]

Out of curiosity, why so?

Do you think they might misuse the data for some nefarious purpose (which, I'll admit is a risk, but given that the US govt demands your soul just to visit the place, and I've already been there once, I'm not that bothered), or some other reason?

[woodavens]

The originators of this petition write