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In praise of red tape
Feb. 14th, 2011 07:32 amIn Cameron's generally ludicrous article about how if you want essential services, you'd better provide them yourself for no wages Big Society is coming like Jesus to save us all, one bit was particularly egregious:
Now I'll grant you, there's room for discretion in criminal record checks. I don't give a damn if someone shoplifted ten years ago or possessed cannabis ever. But is he seriously saying that if someone wants to work with children (or vulnerable adults, for that matter, though they're generally a lot less photogenic than the darling little kiddies), someone shouldn't check to make sure that they don't have a history of violent or sexual crime?
Oh, but they're volunteers, you see. Because in Conservative Land, nothing is serious unless a profit is to be made from it. So if there's no money involved, then it happens in a magic special bubble where there are never any consequences. It's not a real thing, so we don't have to apply real-world rules. They talk up the importance of volunteering, but they betray their real feelings: we don't need to apply the usual rules, because it's voluntary, so it doesn't count. There's no money. How could it matter?
Okay, that's the easy one out of the way. On to the dreaded Health and Safety.
( Read more... )
And if someone wants to help out with children, we will sweep away the criminal record checks and health and safety laws that stop them.Wait, what? WHAT?!?!?!?!
Now I'll grant you, there's room for discretion in criminal record checks. I don't give a damn if someone shoplifted ten years ago or possessed cannabis ever. But is he seriously saying that if someone wants to work with children (or vulnerable adults, for that matter, though they're generally a lot less photogenic than the darling little kiddies), someone shouldn't check to make sure that they don't have a history of violent or sexual crime?
Oh, but they're volunteers, you see. Because in Conservative Land, nothing is serious unless a profit is to be made from it. So if there's no money involved, then it happens in a magic special bubble where there are never any consequences. It's not a real thing, so we don't have to apply real-world rules. They talk up the importance of volunteering, but they betray their real feelings: we don't need to apply the usual rules, because it's voluntary, so it doesn't count. There's no money. How could it matter?
Okay, that's the easy one out of the way. On to the dreaded Health and Safety.
( Read more... )
