Re: Who countersigns the primary ID Card documentation ?

On Tuesday 01 June 2004 15:30, David Hansen wrote:
> On 31 May 2004 at 11:53, Adrian Midgley wrote:
> > Not doing so, but writing it by hand is irritating and from my viewpoint
> > causes delay - to me.
>
> This is in line with much of the activities of government for a
> considerable amount of time. If it can be dumped on us plebs so much
> the better.

"Government at the service of the people...."
>
> Interestingly enough, despite dumping all sorts of activities the
> number of central government staff "needed" to undertake the risidual
> duties seems to rise and rise. It's mildy amusing to think that a far
> smaller civil service managed to run an empire that covered a fair
> proportion of the globe. Perhaps officials were just better at their
> jobs then.

Ha. Wherever the British Empire went, it took beaurocracy with it. 
Unfortunately, in many of the target countries, the beaurocracy remained 
following the retreat of the Empire. The experience of most Himalayan 
climbing expeditions approaching the chain from the south is that clearing 
equipment through Indian customs is more stressful than actually climbing the 
mountains!
>
> On a smaller scale, several of my friends were as amused as I was to
> note that as MOD activities at Rosyth were run down it became more
> difficult to get inside. Our conclusion was that someone didn't have
> enough to do (due to the run-down) and so was trying to preserve their
> job by inventing tasks for them to do.

Similarly the number of beaurocrats in the Health Service is increasing 
exponentially whilst medical staff numbers are constant, and nurses seem to 
be so thin on the ground that we are scouring out nursing staff from Third 
World countries - who have a desperate need for them.

The damage Brown has done to the tax system suggests to me that he might be 
even more dangerous to the country's economy than Bliar's visions of deluded 
grandeur.

Brian Beesley