Ranting is a cathartic process, and today I turn my attentions to those members of society who live in their ivory towers, cosseted by a healthy bank account and with ample time to spout as to how the world should, or should not, be run….even when they have little real life experience. Let my rant spew forth……………..Here in the UK – and I am sure there are similar challenges elsewhere – we have rights for everyone and everything. I heard the story the other day of a woman who has decided to sue her former boss two and a half years AFTER a minor incident. Why? Because she has probably heard too many ‘no win no fee’ solicitors advertising on the radio. Poor her! But what about the poor ‘boss’ who has to defend the spurious claim? (I’ve seen the allegations and they are!). If he wants to fight it’ll cost him a fortune with little prospect of legal costs being paid back, even if he wins. But if his insurance company decides to concede the argument – because it is cheaper than fighting – then the ‘boss’ gets a black mark for having had a claim on his policy; his premiums will go up. A double whammy!Then there are the liberals who believe that Housing Benefit should be paid directly to tenants (instead of directly to the landlord), in the hope that it will promote personal responsibility. Does it? No! Too many don’t pay the landlord, spend the cash and leave the property owner holding the baby. The landlord then has to issue a Section 21 form to get rid of his naughty tenants, who are probably already seriously in arrears. And, guess what? He has to give them at least a further two months notice, giving them another 8 weeks of ‘free living’ whilst the courts again give them the benefit of the doubt. And so bureaucracy continues! How have we got it so wrong?One day we will have some common sense legislators who have lived, who have been at the end of lost rent, who have tasted the disillusionment of commercial life. So many of them have cash in the bank, trust funds and positions of authority to fall back on. And, it is so easy to be liberal when you have the benefit of position. Forgive me, am I beginning to sound like a cynic?We seem to have lost our way. Britain is said to be an ‘old’ country and, for that reason, changing legislation is like turning an oil tanker. But, we need to find a way to become more agile in this digital age where speed is of the essence. The internet changes by the minute, it’s what people are used to. And yet bureacracy disappears in its own mire. Isn’t it time that politicians found a better way to negotiate the drudgery of bureacracy? Bring back common sense, it is fast becoming an endangered species.
