On Her Majesty's secret Service

[John Arton]

A few weeks ago we got a letter through the post from the U.k. Government. At first glance I thought it was from HMSS, great I thought, they are recruiting me into the Secret Service as a James Bond replacement (well he must be getting in years, isn't he).
Imagine my regret when upon opening it I found out that my family had been chosen to take part in a Government survey (the only household in the area).
A week later a lady turned up to carry out this survey equipped with a government issued computer and started asking all the family loads of questions.
Some were weird, such as "on a scale of 1 to 10, how happy are you".
Loads of other questions regarding my education, qualifications, when and where obtained, employment history etc.
One question was "had I ever been part of the Armed Forces", I replied No but had spent all my working life in the "4th Service". This completely threw her and when I explained to her about the Merchant Navy, on her computer there was no reference at all in the computers drop down menus regarding the Merchant Navy, nothing, nada. No way to enter qualifications "Masters Foreign Going", "Advanced Fire Fighting", £Bridge resource Management", "Ships Captain Medical", etc. etc. AS said, nada.
So even today our U.K. Government still does not to recognise not only the fact that there is, albeit a small, merchant Navy but also the qualifications required to serve in same.
rgds
J.A. (disappointed not to become 008)

[Captain Kong]

I DESPAIR.
Brian

[j.sabourn]

007 is the number on my car personalised number plate , should have sent her to see me. 006 got killed last night on TV here on the old film Spectre. He was a double agent. Cheers JWS

[happy daze john in oz]

We get them here in shopping centres attempting to get the public to answer a host of questions, most of which are banal.

I refuse to get involved as they take your answer and fit it to which ever part is best to get the results they want, and that is not always the truth.

[Keith Tindell]

I don't fill in any questionnaires anywhere, all the information given is flogged on to other companies, as soon as you give the info, your email come alive with junk mail, kt

[John Arton]

Guy's
This was an official ugov pollster and is used by the government to judge the state of the nation, this particular poll was all about employment and education.
Rgds J.A.