October 18, 2004
Removing The Red Tape
Red tape, eh?! The bane of all our lives. It’s the bane of Peter’s life too. Take a look at a typical example of a day in the life of a reasonably average citizen of the UK…
Peter gets up at around 6.30am and starts the day with a refreshing cup of tea. The water that he uses is healthy and clean because ‘red tape’ - made up of various UK Water Acts and EU regulations - ensures that it is so. When he finishes, he takes his daily medication - a medication that is both safe and actually works because of rules and regulations set up by some profit-hating entity that seems to think that it’s not a good idea to test new medicines and drugs directly upon the final user. Incidentally, he does not actually have to pay for the prescription as he has a Medical Exemption Certificate, instigated by some left-wing commie government in the late ’60s.
Peter now decides to cook bacon and eggs for his breakfast. Both are safe to eat because some anti-capitalists decided that rules and regulations covering sell-by dates, packing and storage were necessary for his well-being.
He goes for a shower and reaches for the shampoo - a shampoo that lists the ingredients in the bottle because of some more communist ‘red tape’ telling manufacturers that they actually need to inform consumers about what they put in their products. He then dresses and steps outside into the fresh, autumnal air - he doesn’t necessarily start coughing and spluttering of course, because some nutty environmentalist put laws in place preventing industries from pumping out masses and masses of waste products into the atmosphere. He works in the town centre, so he decides to use the bus service - a service part-funded by some socialist scheme aiming to ensure that public transport is provided… even on non-profit making routes!
Peter’s job has reasonable pay and working conditions, and paid holidays - all because some strike-happy union lefties thought that workers should have enforceable, civilised working standards. He’s a member of a well-known public services union simply because he was invited to join when he started his job, but if he gets unfairly treated by his bosses, some Soviet-worshipping rep will advise and assist him. If the worst came to the worst and he was to be unfairly dismissed, he’d be able to go to a tribunal - and be represented by those same loudmouth troublemakers.
At lunchtime, Peter has to visit the bank in order to discuss mortgage repayment details. Luckily, regulations insisted upon by some free-market-hating do-gooder, mean that he has a right to protection from unscrupulous behaviour by financial institutions.
After returning from work, he decides to visit his father, who is now retired. He lives on a state-funded pension - admittedly rather small at the present time - that only exists at all because freedom-hating socialists have decided that he shouldn’t only have to survive upon what his son can afford.
Peter then gets back into his car, and turns on the radio. The host of his favourite talk-radio channel keeps on pointing out that all this Government ‘red tape’ is causing the UK to ‘lag behind’ other developed countries - he says that it needs to be cut. He doesn’t point out that right-wing, money obsessed politicians have fought against almost every protection and benefit that Peter enjoys throughout the day.
Peter agrees enthusiastically: “I’m sick of all those bloody socialists and communists controlling our lives, telling us what we can and can’t do, not allowing honest, hard-working people to earn what they deserve without losing most of their money as tax. I’M a self-made man who believes that everyone should take care of their own interests - just like I do!”
One Man’s Red Tape…
Despite the significant problems that still exist in the UK today surrounding privacy laws, human rights, the NHS, transport, education, etc., occasionally it can be a useful exercise to remember that some of those same laws, rules and regulations in existence right now help us to live our daily lives in ways that we barely even notice.
‘Removing The Red Tape’, clearly based upon (and inspired by) John Gray’s ‘Day in the Life of Joe Middle-Class Republican’, was written as a response to those that believe most of society’s ills can be cured by simply cutting the amount of proverbial ‘red tape’ - a derogatory term initially used by many right-wing politicians and big business, but now used regularly by MPs of every party, small businesses, and even you and me.
Much of today’s so-called ‘red tape’ usually exists for the benefit of society as a whole, not just for the benefit of a few individuals. Of course, there are examples of it that need revising or even removing, but problems exist within ALL systems of this nature - continual observations, evaluations and re-evaluations are ALWAYS necessary. As with the NHS, taxation, and many other regulations, if the fundamental aim is to ensure that people are not exploited, and that they can live a reasonably happy life, then simply discarding all ‘red tape’ when it may only need a tweak, a polish, or even a re-tune and complete oil change, is very unwise, possibly dangerous, and in general should be avoided at all costs.
