Scrapping the Census and voting reform

So caught out by the ridiculousness and impracticality of scrapping the Census was I last week that I forgot to make my substantive point.

The coalition government has made considerable noises about voting reform, in particular making sure every constituency is the same size. The "same" is to be based on populations of approximately 100,000 per constituency.

Where, then, are they going to get this data? There had been significant concerns on this question. If the Census isn't around, that question becomes even more significant.

The Census, on the basis of the coalition government's own policy intentions, is vital to the fabric of democracy in this country. Scrapping it is a significant mistake.