It isn't the done thing to criticise other worthy toilers in the field, especially when they do a reasonably good job - although that hasn't stopped us in the past. But, having written with Christopher Booker, way back, a book called The Mad Officials, we pride ourselves on knowing a thing or two about regulation and its enforcement. Thus, we could not let the latest offering by Open Europe go by without some sort of comment.

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Having just watched some of the YouTube clips of "Yes Minister" over at WFW, confirms my long held belief that it's always been the Civil Service running the country, not the government of the day. Why can't we do like the French and use the system to OUR advantage, instead of deliberately imposing every stupid rule and regulation?

We don't just need a "Bonfire of Quangos", we need to destroy ALL the petty officials infesting every walk of life....

We need to change the mindset of the people ... how many times have you heard the phrases, "there should be a law against it" or "the government/council should do something"?

You often hear people call these trumped up officials little Hitlers, this is wrong, Hitler never did his own dirty work he had his henchmen/women do it for him.

We have all these officials, obesity, health, smoke & 5 a day police who dress themselves up as real important people, who take their job as henchmen/women very seriously because they have a pen, name tag & a penalty charge book. Take these away and they become the sad people they are. They're spite in a uniforms.

Rosie ... I suspect that, in any culture, there are weak people who need a badge of authority to give them a purpose in life. In a robust, self-confident society, these people are given short-shrift. That they survive and prosper in our contemporary society is simply another symptom of our general and continuing decay.

RAENORTH

Thank you for that essay.

Considering your well known public opposition to the EU, it would have been easy, specially for you, to simply take the OE report, make it even more technical, jargonistic and watertight, and beat the EU over the head with it.

You didnt, and I find that very reassuring.

The EU, in many ways, is the symptom of a much larger problem, stemming initially from the loss of confidence of our ruling classes in their abilities to govern. Much of that is possibly the result of our losing the cream of two generations in successive world wars.

It's very sad that it's come to this, the politcans on offer being EU stooges are basically useless, so how can the rot be stopped & reversed.

For the life of me I can't think of anything to restore sanity & normality, it's seems the country is too far gone, and the majority of the electorate just haven't the get up and go, or care, to do anything about it, they just take, meekly, everything thrown at them. Many are so used to being told what to do by the state I think they'd even stand for the government commandeering their pay packets & allocating pocket money, that's how pathetic & weak the electorate have become.

Rosie writes:

My thoughts exactly...
Friends from the UK come here visiting during the course of the year...and none of them is even prepared to discuss the state of the country...and I get the odd black look if I bring the subject up. I am left with the only possible conclusion: They simply do not care.
What could possibly be more horrifying than that?

Permanentexpat,,

I am sure that many people do care, Rosie cares, the illustrious, industrious RAEN cares but we are in a minority with no real outlet for our worries. LibLabCon have got the print media stitched up and the BBC does what it does, backs the ones who will enforce it's demands. Parliament is no longer of use, the Judiciary are bought and any safeguards afforded by the Constitutional documents that are extant have been so diluted by successive governments as to be of no use. The education system, if such it can be called, that exists for those outside the favoured is a disaster, discipline and learning are derided as never before. The population in general therefore do not understand what is really going on. When it hits them in the pocket they may complain but having a small view, based on TV mainly, they may pick on the wrong target. Yes, I will vote for a minor party because the main three are too much alike and not to be trusted.