In article , Jupiter
writes
On Wed, 8 Jun 2005 06:40:20 +0100, Kay
wrote:

In article , Jupiter
writes

My local Council, in its application form for an allotment, requires,
among other intrusive

and unnecessary questions, to know the
applicant's ethnic origins

Usually not compulsory to answer this. It's there to guard against
unintentional discrimination. How do you know you are not discriminating
if you don't know the applicant's ethnic group?

I never answer that kind of question on principle. None of their
business and also facilitiates illegal positive discrimination and
discrimination against white people.

I suppose you can take the view that it facilitates illegal
discrimination either way. It is hard to discriminate directly unless
you have *some* way (however inaccurate) of inferring ethnic group (or
whatever is your chosen basis for discrimination). But if you as an
organisation are genuinely trying to avoid discrimination, then indirect
discrimination is the problem, not direct discrimination, and the only
way in which you can see whether your policies have led to
discrimination is to look at the ethnic (or gender or disability or age)
groupings of the people who have benefited.

But, as you rightly say, no-one has a right to that information, so all
you as an organisation can do is hope people will trust you enough to
give you that information voluntarily.


Could be relevant .... suppose I intended to use my allotment to carry
out breeding experiments on thistles? ;-)

Wouldn't be any worse than the Council's own current experiments in
breeding elderberry, brambles, nettles, couch grass, etc. on the
derelict allotment sites.

True :-)


--
Kay
"Do not insult the crocodile until you have crossed the river"