rules and regulations

We live in a world where nothing is free anymore.

I’ve known this for a while – it wasn’t like this in the early 90’s.  I remember getting my first car, going to France on a day trip with some mates and drinking beer in a park in Calais.  I remember when it was possible to speak about what you wanted and providing you weren’t offensive, you need not be worried that someone might misunderstand you and come over all politically correct on you.

Now we’re all shackled by the way that the world expects us to think.

There’s a church in the UK that has a hand wound clock in the tower.  Its been wound by hand since 1760 or something, but the trouble is, its up an 8 foot ladder and Health and Safety has decided that its unsafe and forbids anyone from winding the clock anymore.   in 200+ years, noone has fallen off and hurt themselves.  But no, risk must be eliminated from our society at all costs.

Its the same here in Oz.  Its illegal to cycle without a helmet.  Its probably more illegal to do this than commit an act of vandalism.  Police are relentless in the pursuit of the middle classes doing something a tiny bit “naughty”  Get caught with your hair out on a bike, it’ll cost you 6 points on your driving license and $1000 fine.  Thats more than if you drove at 130kph through the middle of Perth.

Its illegal to do most things in Oz – its a very repressive and over regulated society.  Have to be seen to be doing the right thing, regardless of whether or not its actually right.   In this Health and Safety world, everything has to be *someones* fault, so the powers that be, so spineless and afraid, limp and wanting to cover their own arses want to take away all the risk, just in case someone points a finger at them when something happens and says “Its *your* fault.

Can’t wait for the day when someone stands up to the powers that be and says

“Fuck off, I’m going to just climb the fucking ladder and wind the damn clock and then I’m cycling home without a helmet”