Tuesday 18th June 2002

Roadworks Rule

More guidelines, suggestions, rules and red tape

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[JMorgan]

I agree that workers have to be protected, but to go past a mile or so of cones whilst they are strimming the hedghogs only to see one worker rolling an old holburn or watering the daffs is annoying.
The recent trend of removing road works for Bank Hols is a good step.
Around here there is a project to redo a junction. Never seen more thn six working on it. It causes major delays in rush hour. Coucil must have the cheap option or in the Masons.

[JohnL]

quote:... Coucil must have the cheap option ...

Of course they do. Standard public sector procedure is to accept the lowest bid. The cheapest monkey who claims that he can do the job, gets the job. And then they wonder whay so many contrcats are done badly, and why contrcators cut corners on safety.

[CarZee]

quote:it raises the question of whether we are allowed to assume that anyone has any common sense any more.

I think that some of the things we've discussed here before demonstrate beyond doubt that most people *are* entirely lacking in common sense..

A sad truth..

The question is why? Well, in my experience, when I am bound up by burocracy, procedures, safeguards and checks, there is a tendency to switch off the free-thinking parts of the brain, from whence spring common sense. To me this is because if I'm in free-thinking mode, I internally (and externally ) rail against the insanity of the proceduralisation and petty beurocracy brought to every little action.

The only alternative is to stoically lock free will the boot of my car until it's time to go home.

My experience, of course, is from working in large corporate environments, which if I'm being completely honest, I loathe more than New Labour itself. When you extend the theory to the broader world and life in general, where overbearing legislation and regulation control many aspects of our lives, and if you make the wild assumption that my experience is not unique, then you can see what linguistically unimaginative journos call 'dumbing down'.

No f***ing wonder people stop thinking for themselves.

We see it all the time - the whole lack of consideration and thought shown on the roads - all the coddling in rules & regulation - induce people to stop thinking for themselves and stop applying common sense..

For many it's a lovely way to devolve responsibility for their actions to the rule-makers - and it's a positive feedback loop - once people can devolve their responsibilities, they soon call for more of the same and tougher regulations, to make things easier for them. For me, it's a coping mechanism to deal which something which I find deeply un-natural. Were I not a driving enthusiast, I would readily slip into the numpty mould, because I'm not implored to think for myself and am bound by rage inducing regulation.

As it happens I am actually an office numpty - because of my hatred of the nonsense of the corporate environment, I just switch off and contribute only on an 'as necessary' basis - I often make no effort to transcend the rigidity and mediocrity in order to achieve things. Working for myself on the other hand, I have a big interest in and motivation for - the primacy of free thinking and self determination and the correlation between performance and earnings!

Vote CarZee! Less rules, less laws and a much more brutal and incisive education for all. Keep the buggers on their toes!

Sorry about the stream of consciousness.. preview window cuts off about a third of the way thru, so not sure how it all scans yet

[philshort]

Carzee - your stream seems to wander down a similar river bed to mine, at least in this respect!

I too find depessing similarities between the dumbing down of corporate and "real" life, something which I think started in the mid to late nineties - or maybe thats just when I became aware of it.

I like to think that this mass apathy is an open invitation for the free thinker. When I can be bothered.

[GregE240]

quote:
.. preview window cuts off about a third of the way thru, so not sure how it all scans yet

Oh, just the usual nonsense mate

Interesting piece on GMTV this morning....apropos an article in this months' The Face magazine. They did a large survey of England's youth (goodness knows what qualification you needed to participate - being of a young persuasion I guess). The results they were chirping about was what I've become led to believe is in summary, pretty much what the man on the street is thinking, namely:

1) The current batch of politicians running this counmtry of ours haven't got a ha'peth of sympathy for the common person. They are out of touch.

2) The Labour and Tory party are not fit to run the country.

3) The Lib Dems are the only real alternative (hmmmm....hmmmmm.....discuss ? I'm not sure I want a spivvy ginger haired Jock taking my taxes, but that's just me). Charles Kennedy guested and tried to sound flattered, but screwed up and sounded arrogant - oh well

4) Cannabis should be decriminalised. Several persons expressed concern that doing this may lead to people trying something "a bit stonger". In my experience this is simply NOT true.

How can a government be so hopelessly out of touch, that's what I'd like to know. Is it just me, but since the rod of iron glory days of Thatcherism have we just sunk into this state of governmental apathy ? Labour has promised much, and delivered little. The Tories are no alternative at present. Where do we go from here ?

Are the media partly to blame ? Are they trying to steer the readership away from logical debate, instead concentrating on either the Queen Mum's funeral debacle, or what Mrs Blair said today ? I've stopped buying newspapers for this reason - I'm just pig sick of reading asinine bullsh*t that simply does not interest me or affect me.

Phew ! Back to work.

[CarZee]

quote:

quote: .. preview window cuts off about a third of the way thru, so not sure how it all scans yet

Oh, just the usual nonsense mate

Thanks mate - I can always rely on you to tell it how it is

quote: 1) The current batch of politicians running this counmtry of ours haven't got a ha'peth of sympathy for the common person. They are out of touch.

It's not a surprise - if I were running the country - I'd be out of touch with the common man - I hate most of em now, so given the reins of power, I'd be strongly inclined to trample them all under foot.

Anyway, since when did yoofs know crap all about anything? none of us knew much about what it's all about at that age... equally, and on the same theme, who gives a crap what they think?

quote:2) The Labour and Tory party are not fit to run the country.

Whereas if Darren, Kevin and Dean were running the country it'd be well bling bling innit - and we could have jason as home secretary when he gets out of the yoof detention centre. Fcuk off..

quote:
3) The Lib Dems are the only real alternative (hmmmm....hmmmmm.....discuss ? I'm not sure I want a spivvy ginger haired Jock taking my taxes, but that's just me). Charles Kennedy guested and tried to sound flattered, but screwed up and sounded arrogant - oh well

The lib dems are my worst nightmare - they'd make Blair look likle Mussolini. Legalising pot is a cheap buyoff which would appeal to idiots who're used to the two main parties being demonised.. the only reason LebDims aren't tarred with the same brush is that the've never bloody been in power - and there's reason for that!

quote: How can a government be so hopelessly out of touch, that's what I'd like to know. Is it just me, but since the rod of iron glory days of Thatcherism have we just sunk into this state of governmental apathy ? Labour has promised much, and delivered little. The Tories are no alternative at present. Where do we go from here ?

is it into the gravel trap, I fear...? sorry for that terrible literary cut & shut

quote:
Are the media partly to blame ? Are they trying to steer the readership away from logical debate, instead concentrating on either the Queen Mum's funeral debacle, or what Mrs Blair said today ?

The public never were equipped for serious debate.. witchhunts/lynch mobs/mob rule have been the norm of human behaviour for all of time - the thing today is that there is much more (mis)information available to us what with the glut and pervasiveness of newspapers, TV, internet, etc - so everyone has an opinion on everything. If you held an opinion poll about any topic of gravity (WW2 notwithstanding) 50 years ago, more than 50% of the working classes would answer "well I wouldn't know about that", but today the answer would be "well I think it's a disgrace. Put more rules in place." Having the (mis)information is different from having the capacity to interpret it properly.

quote: I've stopped buying newspapers for this reason - I'm just pig sick of reading asinine bullsh*t that simply does not interest me or affect me.

Me too - and believe me there's no better cure from the inclination to buy newspapers than to work for one of them - disgusting unprincipled colluding scum.

[JohnL]

quote:
3) The Lib Dems are the only real alternative (hmmmm....hmmmmm.....discuss ? I'm not sure I want a spivvy ginger haired Jock taking my taxes, but that's just me). Charles Kennedy guested and tried to sound flattered, but screwed up and sounded arrogant - oh well

You got something against ginger haired Jocks then?

Lib Dems - well they're the only ones who aren't demonstrably deceitful underhand greedy selfish narrowminded shortsighted out of touch etc etc etc, but that's mainly because as you or CZ say they haven't been in UK government in living memory. They are part of the coalition up here though, and seem no worse, and indeed less unscrupulous, than their Labour partners.

[mondeoman]

Oh come on guys - all politicians are wonderful, altruistic, self-abaseing (sp?) people. All they want to do is create a better world for us and our children and our childrens children...... and if we don't know how to do that for ourselves, then they're here to help and guide us, protect us from our mistakes and generally make the world a safer, more caring place to bring up ............... ROBOTS!!!

The reason they have to concentrate on safety issues (not that they know how to, and don't ask the civil service or any government organistation to get involved, because they are all scared witless of making any decision) is because the hospitals are so bad they have to find a way of keeping us out of them.

God how I detest polifgticians! Anyone who wants the power that goes with Government should be banned from EVER standing for ANY position of power/influence in the public domain. The only candidates should be people who get nominated by their peers for continually and demonstrably putting the needs of others above their own wishes and desires - and any lawyers/solicitors/accountants should be banned from ever joining anything!

I need more coffee and nicotine - who's hidden me smokes??? grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!