Clearly, it isn’t to ensure someone performs the basics of a civilised society: A dead dog was removed from the River Thames by a distressed volunteer after authorities left it floating for more than two weeks. And this is Kingston!…
Tag: bureaucracy
Influx…
One child in three is living below the poverty line in parts of Kingston. As part of a new series of features David Lindsell spoke to parents about poverty and how the council intends to tackle it. Stand by for…
Worms Start Turning…
Peter Preston on the double-standard relating to school attendance: Parents are responsible for making sure their children go to school. Headteachers say so; ministers say so; the law says so. If your child is registered to attend a school, then…
Spend That Public Money Faster!
A beehive sculpture costing thousands of pounds has been removed from a public park after complaints it looked ‘too rude’. We aren’t shown a ‘before’ photo, but we can imagine… Award-winning sculptor Thompson Dagnall – who was paid around £3,500…
Here’s A Thought; Make Up Your Own Minds…
Recommendations that babies should be breastfed for six months, without introducing solid food or other liquids, is considered “unrealistic and unachievable” by many families, experts from the University of Aberdeen and the University of Stirling argue. Well, that’s why they…
The Dave Really Has A Sterling Team Around Him, Doesn’t He?
Natasha Dye, of New England Quarter, Brighton, wrote to David Cameron desperately seeking help. Her three-year-old daughter, Scarlett, suffers from chronic lung disease and other serious health problems and they live in one of the worst streets in Brighton and…
Blatant Rentseeking We Can All See Coming A Mile Off!
A man seriously hurt in a car accident involving a driver with poor eyesight is urging compulsory eye tests for all motorists. Oh? When? Gareth Gault, 42, of the Grove, Southend, is backing a national campaign to force drivers to…
Right-on Dave strikes again
Cameramong’s latest brain spasm, it seems, is to force companies to appoint women, showing once again that he has absolutely no understanding of the concept of freedom. David Cameron warned that the UK’s inability to exploit women’s full potential as…
More Free Lunches Demanded…
All children under five in care in London should be sent a free book a month to boost their reading and prospects later in life, the Commons was being told today. Well, that’ll get rid of a few more unsold…
Let’s get the flock out of here
Or, if we’re talking about pigs, the herd. And obviously that’s a lot easier if the herd has its own fully signed, designated escape route which it knows because there have been escape drills. Yes, we’re still talking about pigs, and…
Those Cuts Affecting The Public Sector Front Lines….
…well, fear not. Some vital services are actually being created: Teams of “eco-marshals” are to patrol London telling taxi drivers to switch off their engines when stationary to cut pollution. /facepalm Oh, and don’t worry if you’re not a cab-driver.…
So, You’ve Been Tolerating Dodgy Businesses For Years?
Safety officials in York have criticised plans to make local businesses pay for poor inspections, saying charges would damage the city’s economic recovery. Really? By putting unhygienic and unsafe takeaways and shops out of business? Isn’t that what we want?…
Permission must be sought for everything
I’ve occasionally had to defend Oz against charges that it’s turned into a nightmare bureaucracy cum fascist society where everything is either banned, compulsory or requires prior application in triplicate for the relevant licence. One day, maybe, but not yet.…
Signs And Portents For 2012…
In a sign that does not bode well for next summer’s celebration of sporting excellence, the biggest test event so far for the 2012 Olympic Games was marred yesterday by angry confrontations between drivers and stewards. Oh, dear. What went…
Points Mean Prizes!
Hundreds of schools have driven up the amount they will be paid under the Government’s “pupil premium” initiative – designed to “reward” them for taking poorer children – by encouraging parents to apply for free school meals (FSM) for their…