A website and blog by Peter Lewis
PostsIs it just me or does the idea of an American arms company running the UK census just seem wrong?
I've just found out through the lovely process of following links around from website to website that the American arms manufacturer Lockheed Martin is in the shortlist of the UK government to run the 2011 census. For some reason the Office of National Statistics (ONS) has decided to contract out the process to a private company, meaning that the winning bidder will be responsible for the collection and management of census information for the entire of the UK. Lockheed Martin is the world's biggest military contractor and arms exporter. Apparently, they build U-2 and SR-71 Blackbird spy planes, F-16 and F/A-22 jet fighters, Hellfire and Javelin missiles, the F-117 stealth attack fighters used at the beginning of the US invasion of Iraq and the PAC-3 Patriot missile. As if that weren't enough, the US Vice-President, Dick Cheney's wife is on the board of the company. The New York Times said in 2004 that "Lockheed Martin doesn't run the United States. But it does help run a breathtakingly big part of it."
I mean, to the British government: Come on guys, what on Earth are you playing at?
Read more about it here, and sign the petition to the Prime Minister against the idea here.
That is outrageous! Not just the fact that it's an arms company, but it's also appalling from the perspective that the government will be using a US company to handle loads of personal data! The US doesn't even have adequate data protection laws, how can they give them a job like this? Incredible.
I know, it does seems crazy. But just so I don't get done for libel or anything, I think that technically it's Lockheed Martin UK Ltd which is in the running, but obviously that's part of the same global company. Don't know if that affects the legal position.
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