Over the weekend we had the unbelievable report that two women in England who looked after each other's children while the other worked were told to end the arrangement because the had not registered as childminders with OFSTED.
What is our world coming to?
Surely it is non of the state's business what friends do to assist each other. Of course as soon as the news broke, the government says that it is looking into the matter. It was they who introduced the law.... What is there to look into other than repeal?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8277378.stm
Monday, 28 September 2009
Saturday, 26 September 2009
The Baroness and the housekeeper.
This week, we have been faced with the almost unbelievable farce surrounding the Attorney General, Baroness Scotland.
For those of you who haven't been following the case, the Baroness was instrumental in framing and guiding into law, regulations to prevent the employment of illegal immigrants. The law was framed so as to require employers to show that they had satisfied themselves that their employee has the right to work in the UK. It is a strict requirement that copies of passports and visas must be taken and retained, failing which the employer is liable for heavy fines. There is no room for inadvertent mistakes.
It was amazing therefore to read in the press that the Baroness had employed a Tongan lady whose visa had expired. When the news broke, the poor housekeeper was fired, and the Baroness has now been fined £5,000, a considerable sum.
You would think that the country's most senior law officer who had herself only recently enacted a draconian piece of legislation would not have been caught out in this way. You would also think that having been caught out that her position in the Government would be untenable and she, as a matter of honour, would have resigned immediately. No! The baroness tells us that the offence was a technicality equivalent to failing to pay the congestion charge .(and be subject to a £5,000 fine?... Do me a favour!!!)
What is even more amazing is that the Prime Minister does not consider an offence of this magnitude to be a resigning matter. It makes me wonder, just what does it take for someone to be unfit for office? I wonder what the Prime Minister, and indeed the Attorney General would have said and done if the culprit had been a member of another political party, or had been an ordinary member of the public?
The Government is rotten. It's time we had a change. In Edinburgh West we will have a change, lets make sure that change returns a Conservative to Westminster once again.
For those of you who haven't been following the case, the Baroness was instrumental in framing and guiding into law, regulations to prevent the employment of illegal immigrants. The law was framed so as to require employers to show that they had satisfied themselves that their employee has the right to work in the UK. It is a strict requirement that copies of passports and visas must be taken and retained, failing which the employer is liable for heavy fines. There is no room for inadvertent mistakes.
It was amazing therefore to read in the press that the Baroness had employed a Tongan lady whose visa had expired. When the news broke, the poor housekeeper was fired, and the Baroness has now been fined £5,000, a considerable sum.
You would think that the country's most senior law officer who had herself only recently enacted a draconian piece of legislation would not have been caught out in this way. You would also think that having been caught out that her position in the Government would be untenable and she, as a matter of honour, would have resigned immediately. No! The baroness tells us that the offence was a technicality equivalent to failing to pay the congestion charge .(and be subject to a £5,000 fine?... Do me a favour!!!)
What is even more amazing is that the Prime Minister does not consider an offence of this magnitude to be a resigning matter. It makes me wonder, just what does it take for someone to be unfit for office? I wonder what the Prime Minister, and indeed the Attorney General would have said and done if the culprit had been a member of another political party, or had been an ordinary member of the public?
The Government is rotten. It's time we had a change. In Edinburgh West we will have a change, lets make sure that change returns a Conservative to Westminster once again.
Thursday, 23 July 2009
The madness of health and safety
In the last week it has been reported that a school in Edinburgh had to employ a tradesman to hang children's pictures at a cost of £350.
Now we are told that a group of parents who volunteered to paint their childrens classroom walls cannot do so because of so called health and safety rules.
Both cases are simply bonkers.
The idiots who have interpreted the rules in these ways are frankly not fit to occupy any position of responsibility or authority.
In the first case, I have to ask why the school janitor couldn't do this? Any reason behind this clearly has nothing to do with health and safety, it is down to the stupidity of contracts entered into under the Labour Governments PFI arrangements. Arrangements which were never supposed to be used for this kind of contract and has exposed those involved in drafting them as incompetent, at best.
In the second case, I'd like to see these so called best practise guidelines, because they cannot say that an ordinary volunteer cannot do something as basic as painting a wall.
In any case, what are they worried about? A volunteer is by definition offering their services voluntarily. Presumably those people understand the risks involved. There is not a court in the world that would uphold a claim by a volunteer against the education department where someone volunteered to help and through misadventure was injured (pot of paint falling over? Slipping off a ladder?)
I think it's time that we dealt with the jobsworths in the education department. Get rid of them and allow common sense to take over again.
Now we are told that a group of parents who volunteered to paint their childrens classroom walls cannot do so because of so called health and safety rules.
Both cases are simply bonkers.
The idiots who have interpreted the rules in these ways are frankly not fit to occupy any position of responsibility or authority.
In the first case, I have to ask why the school janitor couldn't do this? Any reason behind this clearly has nothing to do with health and safety, it is down to the stupidity of contracts entered into under the Labour Governments PFI arrangements. Arrangements which were never supposed to be used for this kind of contract and has exposed those involved in drafting them as incompetent, at best.
In the second case, I'd like to see these so called best practise guidelines, because they cannot say that an ordinary volunteer cannot do something as basic as painting a wall.
In any case, what are they worried about? A volunteer is by definition offering their services voluntarily. Presumably those people understand the risks involved. There is not a court in the world that would uphold a claim by a volunteer against the education department where someone volunteered to help and through misadventure was injured (pot of paint falling over? Slipping off a ladder?)
I think it's time that we dealt with the jobsworths in the education department. Get rid of them and allow common sense to take over again.
Wednesday, 17 June 2009
Drogba's ban
Maybe it's just me, but I was appalled by the behaviour of Chelsea player Didier Drogba after their semi final defeat by Barcelona.
Verbally abusing referees is simply not acceptable and it is high time that football authorities took steps. In this case they have. A 6 match ban and a large fine have been handed down.
This is s step in the right direction, but only a step. Footballers need to understand that like it or not they are role models in society. They are heroes to many, as such their behaviour directly influences a large number of people.
No one questions that society is broken and something needs to be done. Selfish self indulgence, lack of discipline, arrogance, lack of respect for authority, violence are all manifestations of that breakdown.
It would be nice to thionk that footballers would take their role seriously and start to live lives that show a good example to those who follow them. Hold your tongues, stop lashing out, think carefully before being seen drunk at night clubs are just some of the ways that they could make a difference to some.
In terms of football authorities, could I suggest that a draconian clamp down on behaviour would help. For example, a sending off results in an immediate season's ban. A second sending off and you never play again- anywhere.
Verbally abusing referees is simply not acceptable and it is high time that football authorities took steps. In this case they have. A 6 match ban and a large fine have been handed down.
This is s step in the right direction, but only a step. Footballers need to understand that like it or not they are role models in society. They are heroes to many, as such their behaviour directly influences a large number of people.
No one questions that society is broken and something needs to be done. Selfish self indulgence, lack of discipline, arrogance, lack of respect for authority, violence are all manifestations of that breakdown.
It would be nice to thionk that footballers would take their role seriously and start to live lives that show a good example to those who follow them. Hold your tongues, stop lashing out, think carefully before being seen drunk at night clubs are just some of the ways that they could make a difference to some.
In terms of football authorities, could I suggest that a draconian clamp down on behaviour would help. For example, a sending off results in an immediate season's ban. A second sending off and you never play again- anywhere.
Lothian Buses- Queensferry
Queensferry, despite being part of Edinburgh is not served by Lothian Buses. I have written asking why. I have no doubt that I will receive an answer saying why it cannot be done, although I would love to be surprised and receive a response to the effect that they are looking to do something positive and introduce a service or even extend a service.
Why for example could the 41 not run express to Queensferry?
Why for example could the 41 not run express to Queensferry?
Identity Cards
http://www.no2id.netIf ever there was a totem of the Labour obsession with total control of people's lives then this is it.
We do not need identity cards in this country. It changes the relationship between the state and the citizen. The state is here to serve the citizen, ID cards will turn that on its head. The arguments about national security are spurious at best, an ID card would not have prevented a single one of our terrorist attrocities.
Good to see therefore that Senior Conservatives are warning potential contractors that their contracts will be cancelled, so don't spend any money.
We do not need identity cards in this country. It changes the relationship between the state and the citizen. The state is here to serve the citizen, ID cards will turn that on its head. The arguments about national security are spurious at best, an ID card would not have prevented a single one of our terrorist attrocities.
Good to see therefore that Senior Conservatives are warning potential contractors that their contracts will be cancelled, so don't spend any money.
Trident
I notice that Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg says that He would not renew Trident. Of course he can say what he likes safe in the knowledge that he will never be called upon to implement and of his commitments.... Not even a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty.
Those who will have to make that decision know that life isn't so simple.
Those who will have to make that decision know that life isn't so simple.
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