Petition to PM for census to be released after 70 years.

Davie · Post by **Davie** » Fri Jan 19, 2007 7:42 pm

Aye Right!!
So the British Government never broke a promise afore?
Giezabrek.
If the 100 year rule is revoked and we are allowed to view the 1921 census returns the morra.
Kin ah take it is as read then, that all o’ yoose that are against it, will refuse on principle to download any of the records.
I admire you all.

Davie

Davie · Post by **Davie** » Fri Jan 19, 2007 7:48 pm

What a storm in a tea cup. I wish you all success in your research but I wont be bothering this site again. Such a shame.

Hi
Ah'm sorry ye feel like that
But maist punters oan here ur genuine family researchers.
and Ah'm aye gettin' a doin'aff thaem in wan form or anither.
But ah ay say ma piece.
However, ye get guid information and everywan'll help if they can.
Davie

Russell · Post by **Russell** » Fri Jan 19, 2007 8:10 pm

Hi Jagilkat

Sorry if you feel I came on a bit strong initially but, like some of the others, I feel that promises made should be promises kept and at a personal level I have relatives still alive who would feel let down (putting it mildly) if family information was made available.
There are other ways of obtaining some of the more recent information and, as Heather says, this is a hobby where patience is an asset.

Davie's point is well made too.
he is funny and forthright and has had pointed remarks made about some of his posts from time to time but he bounces back and doesn't hold a grudge.
If a public apology is needed I give it honestly and in good faith.

Russell

Rach · Post by **Rach** » Fri Jan 19, 2007 8:18 pm

Jagilkat,
As Davie says everyone on this forum is very helpful and I am sorry that your first contact has caused a bit of an uproar. Please don't be put off as everyone on here is willing and able to help in one way or the other and I have had so much useful information given to me.
As for myself, I am worried about all the information that is out there in one form or another about all of us already.
Rae

Post by **AnneM** » Fri Jan 19, 2007 8:42 pm

Hi Jagilkat

I hope you will continue to post as you obviously have interesting opinions and a lively interest in Family History.

Having looked at the responses to your post I'm convinced that no-one was having a go at you personally, only some disagreeing with your suggestion which is after all bound to happen. It would be a very boring world if we all had the same view on things.

For myself, I think that if the people who filled in the census believed the info would be confidential for 100 years then confidential it should stay. However that is just my view and does not by any means make it right.

Please feel welcome in our merry band. Everyone here is very helpful and enjoys discussing FH topics.........but there will never be total agreement.

Anne

Post by **Anne H** » Fri Jan 19, 2007 8:47 pm

Hi Jagilkat,

Welcome to TalkingScot

A very interesting first post with lots of good responses from both sides but my personal opinion differs from your own in that I wouldn't want the census records made available before that 100 year closure period is up.

For those who might be interested there is also a counter-petition you can sign. http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/censusconfid/

Quote from their website:

We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to maintain the undertaking that census information would not be released for 100 years, and that the FOI Act should be amended. More details
Submitted by David Franks – Deadline to sign up by: 10 March 2007 – Signatures: 29

As much as I would love to get my hands on the later census records, I believe that we need to respect the confidentiality of all those who came before us and who willingly (or reluctantly) gave the information with the knowledge that it wouldn’t be revealed for 100 years. We don’t need every bit of information handed to us on a platter right now. We have so many resources available to us.

For those of us of Scottish descent who want more current information, save your pennies for a trip to NRH and look up the BMD’s …I’ll eventually get there one day, but in the meantime, I have plenty to do with this great hobby of mine and doubt that I’ll ever reach the point where there’s nothing left to do and need those later census records right now.

Regards,
Anne H

Post by **paddyscar** » Fri Jan 19, 2007 8:53 pm

I for one, selfishly would love to have the 1911, 1921 census reports available online, not to mention the BMDs. It would answer a lot of my questions for me.

Would I support their release? No. Do I think it's the right thing to do? No.

Would I use it, if it became available? Yes, but I'm in no rush, and think that 90 or a 100 years is reasonable.

Perhaps it should be moving up. Yesterday's news included an announcement of the death of the previously oldest woman in Canada. She was 115 years old.

I think that family researchers make a decision to accept what we find - warts and all. As so many have said on other threads, not all family members are willing to, or can, accept what is found.

Let's remember that our parents (b 1915) were raised in a time when class and position were so important that the current knights and dames of the realm wouldn't have been invited for tea. Pulling yourself up by your bootstrings wasn't celebrated as it is now. It just meant that you were a peasant with money

Many of these elders worked very hard to remove themselves from those beginnings. They deserve to be protected from the unscrupulous who would prey on their vulnerabilities rather than hand them a database of likely candidates.

Frances

Post by **emanday** » Fri Jan 19, 2007 9:10 pm

Jagilkat,

I hope you will have read all these responses to your post with the same open mind you will always find here on TS.

We all accept the right of each other to hold differing opinions and never take it into consideration when a member asks for research help.

The very fact that the petition you have linked to has an opposing petition also running displays the people's right to disagree.

sheilajim · Post by **sheilajim** » Fri Jan 19, 2007 9:27 pm

Hi Jagilkat

I don't think that this was a personal attack on you. Please reconsider and come back to this site. We all have different opinions on various subjects.

I would love to find out where my grandparents were living in 1911. I too am worried about identity theft, but there is so much out there already that the release of the 1911 census wouldn't matter to me.

I guess that we have to consider other peoples feelings in this matter. I don't believe that anything my ancestors did, whether it was good or bad has anything to do with what I am. I believe that I should be judged on what I do, whether it is good or bad.

To be perfectly honest I wouldn't mind at all finding something a little spicy abouth my ancestors, but we all don't think the same way, and that is a good thing too.

Regards

Sheila

tishgibbons · Post by **tishgibbons** » Fri Jan 19, 2007 10:18 pm

"It is the breaking of a promise that's the issue..."

Hmm, well, yes but for example girls in these islands who gave babies up for adoption in the last century were not only promised, but warned, that they could never be traced, contacted, etc. Doesn't count for much now.

Tish