Look Who's Talking
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Gordon - stop us from being a basket case
IN MY self-appointed role as scourge of the jobsworth and the politically correct, I update you on the latest excesses of those grey people that inhabit some bleak parallel universe. Not that my denunciation will have much effect until we man the barricades of reason and pull down their ivory towers - how's that for a mixed metaphor?
West Cross near Swansea boasts a 150 year old monkey puzzle tree - at the moment.
A local council spokesman said: "Safety experts have likened the fallen tree foliage to discarded syringe needles and warn they pose a probable risk of serious injury to children."
I had a monkey puzzle in my garden as a child and regularly came into contact with its needles, which bore more resemblance to blunt pencils than needles. It is once again the pernicious fear of litigation that prompts these bureaucrats to sniff infinitesimal risks and pull out the sledgehammer of stupidity to deal with them.
A fire brigade in Hampshire has been told to stop taking its fire awareness demonstration around schools. It involved setting fire to a chip pan to show how easy it was to do - and how dangerous the result. It seems even the fire brigade can't be trusted to do that safely.
But are we surprised when the police in Kent have refused to break up illegal raves, despite repeated requests from Shoreham residents, for health and safety' reasons.
It is apparently too dark in the woods at night (now that has worrying implications for future policing given the tendency of the ungodly to ply their criminal activities under cover of darkness). The other reason? Breaking up parties is dangerous because "the ravers might drive home drunk".
But we live in a country that is offering A level examinations in Popular Culture and Communication - a subject that includes exploring the relationship between cinema-going and dating and poses such searching questions as "Is skateboarding better than polo?"
Am I being cynical, or could that be an attempt to offer schools the chance to move up the dreaded league tables by taking on subjects that students will seize avidly, irrespective of their ultimate usefulness, at the expense of, say, history and science which demand a little more intellectual rigour and application?
In January Gordon Brown promised to fight the culture that removes hanging baskets from the streets and stops children joining the Scouts or Guides. Erm? What happened, Gordon?
1:20pm Friday 6th June 2008
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CommentPosted by: Tharus Bond, Wycombe on 2:59pm Fri 6 Jun 08
He must have been replaced be part of the secret invasion that has gripped Marvel comics of late to conquer the earth! He is A skrull Imposter! where's captain Britian? or the Doctor?
He must have been replaced be part of the secret invasion that has gripped Marvel comics of late to conquer the earth! He is A skrull Imposter! where's captain Britian? or the Doctor?
Posted by: M2 on 12:21am Tue 10 Jun 08
Tharus, Colin Baker will always be the Doctor to me, and IRL he's a voice of uncommon good sense.
Tharus, Colin Baker will always be the Doctor to me, and IRL he's a voice of uncommon good sense.
Posted by: WaspPilot, Maryland on 4:33pm Tue 10 Jun 08
I agree with Mr. Baker. I am truly shocked that I survived childhood relatively intact. I rode my bike without a helmet, roller skated without knee pads, and ate mulberries right off the bush without washing them first. My misspent youth lead me to such risky behaviors as SCUBA diving, skydiving, and running with scissors. Now I've added a new goal to my ist. I absolutely MUST plant a monkey puzzle tree!
Cheers!
I agree with Mr. Baker. I am truly shocked that I survived childhood relatively intact. I rode my bike without a helmet, roller skated without knee pads, and ate mulberries right off the bush without washing them first. My misspent youth lead me to such risky behaviors as SCUBA diving, skydiving, and running with scissors. Now I've added a new goal to my ist. I absolutely MUST plant a monkey puzzle tree!
Cheers!
Posted by: M2 on 10:02pm Tue 10 Jun 08
WaspPilot, I agree as well, and have to believe that the intent is not so much in the interest of protecting our children, but along the lines of getting people used, over time, to ever harsher government dictates.
We road our bicycles all over the place, picked raspberries in wild patches, ate them unwashed as well. Our parents taught us basic rules, and advocated common sense, and we all survived.
WaspPilot, I agree as well, and have to believe that the intent is not so much in the interest of protecting our children, but along the lines of getting people used, over time, to ever harsher government dictates.
We road our bicycles all over the place, picked raspberries in wild patches, ate them unwashed as well. Our parents taught us basic rules, and advocated common sense, and we all survived.
Posted by: WaspPilot, Maryland on 11:24pm Sat 14 Jun 08
M2, your comment on common sense is particularly insightful, given the examples Mr. Baker mentions in the article.
In addition to the harsher dictates you mention, I feel a fear of insane and frivilous lawsuits is also to blame. Although my family is from the UK, I was raised in the USA. I can tell you that here, the fear of frivilous lawsuits is a very real and festering problem. It is also quite the money-maker for companies who offer protection against same - with everything from safety gear to ludicrous insurance policies.
M2, your comment on common sense is particularly insightful, given the examples Mr. Baker mentions in the article.
In addition to the harsher dictates you mention, I feel a fear of insane and frivilous lawsuits is also to blame. Although my family is from the UK, I was raised in the USA. I can tell you that here, the fear of frivilous lawsuits is a very real and festering problem. It is also quite the money-maker for companies who offer protection against same - with everything from safety gear to ludicrous insurance policies.
Posted by: rods254, London on 12:46am Tue 17 Jun 08
Ridiculous. Abso-bloomin-lutely ridiculous. What will be next? Will we all be required to hear hardhats to work for fear of leaves or Monkey tree spines falling on us? Will we be required to recite the Health and Safety Act before school or work as a new sort of anthem?
Think people! It's not that difficult!
Well, who knows? To some it clearly is!
Ridiculous. Abso-bloomin-lutely ridiculous. What will be next? Will we all be required to hear hardhats to work for fear of leaves or Monkey tree spines falling on us? Will we be required to recite the Health and Safety Act before school or work as a new sort of anthem?
Think people! It's not that difficult!
Well, who knows? To some it clearly is!
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