Sunday 28 November 2010

They're Not Even Pretending Anymore

May seems such a long time ago now, doesn't it?

Over the last decade, thousands of new rules and regulations have amassed on the statute book. And it is our liberty that has paid the price. Under the cover of pretending to act in our best interest, the state has crept further and further into people’s homes and their private lives. That intrusion is disempowering. It needs to change.

The culture of state snooping has become so ingrained that we must tackle it with renewed vigour. And, especially in these difficult times, entrepreneurs and businesses need our help. We must ensure we are not tying them up in restrictive red tape.
So what have the coalition been doing about it this week?

Health Secretary Andrew Lansley said it was time to try a new approach.

"The evidence is clear that packaging helps to recruit smokers, so it makes sense to consider having less attractive packaging. It's wrong that children are being attracted to smoke by glitzy designs on packets."
See that state rolling back, leaving restrictive state-imposed red tape littered in its wake?

Following a consultation with representatives from the catering industry, including fast food restaurants, the Government will publish details of their plans for calorie displays in the spring.
Yep, back, back, back it keeps trundling.

Supermarkets are to be banned from selling wine, beer and spirits below a national "minimum price" under plans to be unveiled by ministers.

The formula, aimed a clamping down on "loss leader" deals, means that no outlet will be able to sell any alcoholic drink for below the cost of duty on the product, plus VAT.

If they do they are likely to lose their licence to sell alcohol as well as face fines.
Back to exactly the same intrusiveness and government prodnosery that was prevalent before the election, and that we were promised an end to.

Why the fuck do we bother with the expensive charade of polling stations, ballot papers, and overtime bonanzas for local authority officers, only to return a carbon copy bunch of self-righteous centre left MPs every time, whichever box is crossed?

Two-faced, venal, arrogant, hypocritical, gullible, finger-wagging, dangerous, dictatorial shitsticks, the lot of them.

Change? What fucking change?


20 comments:

The Wasp said...

I was thinking very much the same myself lately.

Depressingly, most people do not seem to care in the slightest and having had so many years hearing calls of "something must be done about ..." I think a hell of a lot of people would actually vote for this shit if it was in a manifesto.

The only good thing that could possibly come from this renewed bansturbatory vigour is an increase in the numbers angry enough to start blogging about it themselves.

Anonymous said...

Come, come, Dick, they're not so bad, after all they've come up with the idea of businesses to provide screens behind which new mums can express milk which they can then pop in the fridge, beside your lunch - although I'm not quite sure why: are the sprogs in the workplace with mum (are they extending breastfeeding or shortening maternity leave) or is it a kind of sprog takeaway?

Hope those mums are clocking out for a squeeze - they wouldn't want to find themselves vilified like smokers.

Jay

Henry North London 2.0 said...

Thing is most people are highly turned off by politics.

They couldnt care less. Its only when it hits them in the pocket that they wake up momentarily.

We dont have an aware population. A low fat diet plays havoc with memory.

What do the government propaganda machines churn out every day. Eat your fruit and veg and avoid fat.

Sometimes I think anyone who is brainwashed by such propaganda deserves to die by such propaganda.

Im getting rapidly to the point of buggering off out of the UK prison.

Im back in blog form too.

Bill Sticker said...

Dick, you have it right. New Labour or Blue Labour. No change. I just got fobbed off with a load of bollocks off my constituency MP. The cnut even insulted me by deliberately getting my (real) name wrong.

Fuck them all to hell.

Witterings from Witney said...

Packaging attracts new smokers? And where is that proven, cause I not seen anything stating that - or did I blink and miss it?

Lansley's comments are no more than what IPJ on Politics calls "Nudge" - and what I tend to call downright lies!

But then Lansley is a politician - and when do we ever get the truth from a politician?

Ian B said...

Indeed. Same old shit. At least those of us who weren't expecting any change aren't disappointed. For what that's worth.

Jiks said...

I agree Dick.

There has been an avalanche to authoritarian drivel from the new lot in the last few days - those you mention in this post plus a bunch extra police powers.

Very disturbing TBH. I had low expectations of the new government I admit but did have some ... what a fool I was.

Mark Wadsworth said...

Dick, it's good to keep posting this sort of stuff, but did you seriously imagine that the Lib-Cons would be materially different to Nulab?

For sure, they're a bit better in some minor respects, and a tad worse in others, but broadly speaking, much of a muchness.

I suppose the main thing is, insanely high house prices haven't crashed yet - that's the only metric by which the great British electorate judges its government.

Dick Puddlecote said...

MW: "did you seriously imagine that the Lib-Cons would be materially different to Nulab?"

No.

I think you know who I voted for in May. ;)

Anonymous said...

It's no good ,none of it.
They are as out of touch as the Bourbon regime in 18th century France.
Thuuuuunk !
Or is it the Ceauscescu's ?
Dadadadadadadadadadada...thump.

Smoking Hot said...

Dick, do you think l can look forward to the day when the Vandals and the Goths sweep this whole, foul, corrupt, weak EUSSR into oblivion?

Anonymous said...

must be the plain cardboard boxes the ammunition comes in these days.

Angry Exile said...

It's like Labour never even left, eh?

JuliaM said...

"Depressingly, most people do not seem to care in the slightest and having had so many years hearing calls of "something must be done about ..." I think a hell of a lot of people would actually vote for this shit if it was in a manifesto."

That's the truest thing I've ever read. They would, and we all know it...

Neal Asher said...

New tossers same as the old tossers. Same shit different faces.

Bill said...

Why the fuck do we bother with the expensive charade of polling stations, ballot papers, and overtime bonanzas for local authority officers, only to return a carbon copy bunch of self-righteous centre left MPs every time, whichever box is crossed?

Exactly!
It's simple enough withdraw consent and question everything. This doesn't require millions it just requires hundreds of thousands to do this and the system would grind to a halt.

The state teeters on the brink of collapse every single minute and thanks to the MSM the majority are kept in ignorance. The majority will always 'go with the flow'. What's needed is an active minority made up of individuals all asking questions.

The state can only deal with a group leader. If there is a leaderless group made up of individuals doing their own thing the state is stymied.

Here is an example of a very easy way to trim the state's coffers if only by a small amount...

I calculated my own discount for the 41 day hosepipe ban imposed by United Utilities and sent in my October water rates charge net of this discount and a request for the contract I had with United Utilities to supply my water.
I got a lovely letter back full of lies about how they had to impose the ban because of low rainfall, never mentioned their 61 million gallons a day leaks, but they did credit my account (which doesn't exist as they never provided a contract) with the discount amount as a 'one off gesture'.

Clearly this was designed to 'make me go away'. It wasn't hard and I now wish I had made the discount much more unrealistic than I did.
This took me all of fifteen minutes from start to finish and it isn't hard. I am now asking the poer companies for an itemised bill showing how much 'green tax' is built into their charges.

As yet they haven't got back to me but softly softly catchy monkey.

To end I recommend everyone reads and tries to understand the Art of War by SunTzu. It might seem weird to our modern eyes but once you get used to the writing and figure out what he is actually saying then my god do your eyes get opened.

Anonymous said...

The sheeple would queue up for the gaschambers.
I'm sure of it.

J Bonington Jagworth said...

When they said they were going for "a full programme of measures to reverse the substantial erosion of civil liberties under the Labour Government and roll back state intrusion" (which they did in May) I thought it might mean that they weren't going to introduce a whole load of new ones. Silly me.

Henry North London 2.0 said...

http://www.chinapage.com/sunzi-e.html

Dick Puddlecote said...

Nice one, Bill. I wish more would stand up and make a song and dance about it if they feel cheated or marginalised. I can't understand this meek acceptance that most of the public are imbued with. Not only does fighting back illustrate that one isn't willing to be treated to a doormat, it's also extremely satisfying to get a 'result' as you have.

Good call on Sun Tzu. I've read the Art of War and very occasionally quote it, like here, for example.