Red Tape Blog

Does the Government never learn? Not content wi...

Ross Clark — Sat, 20 Jan 2007 00:04:00 +0000

Does the Government never learn? Not content with the fiasco of the £6 billion NHS database -- and just about every other database it has wasted our money on over the past decade its latest wheeze is to put all our information onto a super-database which could be accessed across Government departments. It isn't hard to guess what will happen: details your unpaid parking ticket made out to a car with a cloned registration plate in Weston-Super-Mare will be registered as an unpaid debt, to throw a spanner in the works when you apply, say, for a passport. Anyone out there want to share any tales of how they have descended into a nightmare world of bureaucracy because a Government department has got some inaccurate information on you? If you think it is bad now, just think what it will be like in future.

Take Two!

The Goat — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 17:46:00 +0000

In less than two weeks, 'How to Label a Goat' is already into its second print run - amazing.

So, if you've been to your local store and seen an empty space on the shelf - it's because copies of the book are being snapped up faster than a goat running away from the restraints of red tape!

Make sure you order a copy direct from the publisher, to ensure Christmas delivery: click here

The Evening Standard reports that Metropolitan pol...

Ross Clark — Tue, 28 Nov 2006 21:23:00 +0000

The Evening Standard reports that Metropolitan police officers now spend an average of 10 hours 6 minutes filling out forms when they arrest someone. This has emerged in the answer to a question from London Assembly member Joanne McCarthy. You can see the story here

Craig, a policemen from Scotland, writes to the Evening Standard to say it is a load of nonsense: no policeman would bother to fill in all the forms mentioned. But then since the info comes from the Met themselves, why shouldn't it be true. Any coppers out there wish to make a comment?

How to Label a Goat has certainly caught the atten...

Ross Clark — Tue, 28 Nov 2006 21:32:00 +0000

How to Label a Goat has certainly caught the attention of the media. The goat and I have been in and out of the nations radio and tv stations all week. We have even gained a warm endorsement from serial blogger Tim Worstall. Our interview on Today on Tuesday 21st caused a stir with one Sun reader, who wrote to the paper, complaining that Jim Naughtie had leapt to the defence of the Government and its 1369 page pensions 'simplification' -- arguing that the length of the regulations 'doesn't prove they don't work'. Naughtie was a bit grumpy, but he has got to ask the questions, hasn't he? But the answer to Naughtie's question, on more reflection, is 'no': the fact that a set of regulations runs to 1369 pages does prove it doesn't work -- for a law to be effective it has to be understood by anyone who might fall foul of it and anyone charged with enforcing it. On both counts the new laws on pensions fail. What they create, rather, is a situation in which nobody can tell for sure whether they are within the law

Launch the Goat!

The Goat — Thu, 23 Nov 2006 15:25:00 +0000

'How to Label a Goat' was officially launched at The Savile Club in Mayfair, London on Monday evening.

Guests from the political and media world joined Ross Clark to celebrate the publication of his new book.

A comical 'awards ceremony' was held to find Britian's silliest regulation. The winner? Gordon Brown for his 'simpilified' pensions' regime; which ran to no less than 1,369 pages!

If you didn't make the launch to pick up your complimentary copy of the book, it's available by clicking here

Hope you like the photos:
1. Ross Clark holds Gordon Brown's first prize - a cuddly goat!
2. The books displayed in The Drawing Room at The Savile Club
3. Ross Clark is interviewed by David Cornock from BBC Wales

How do you label a goat?

The Goat — Thu, 23 Nov 2006 15:46:00 +0000

The Daily Mail asked that very question on Tuesday 21 November 2006:

How do you label a goat?

More news from the land of lunatic regulations: s...

Ross Clark — Thu, 16 Nov 2006 19:08:00 +0000

More news from the land of lunatic regulations: staff at Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs have been banned from keeping photographs of their families on their desks -- the argument being that it makes them less productive. According to the Daily Mail (Wednesday 15th November) staff in North Wales were sent a memo ordering them to remove non-essential items from their desks. One man was told to take away a banana on the grounds that it was 'inactive'. (Anyone ever seen an active banana?) The only explanation I can think of is that HMRC is trying to remove from its staff any lingering vestiges of human attributes, so that they won't feel any sympathy for their victims as they struggle with their self assessment tax returns. Anyone got a better explanation?

How to Label a Goat is published

The Goat — Wed, 15 Nov 2006 16:02:00 +0000

'How to Label a Goat' was published this week by Harriman House.

If you pre-ordered a copy, hope you're enjoying the read.

If you'd like to order a copy: click here

The Times: Cast your vote now

The Goat — Wed, 15 Nov 2006 15:50:00 +0000

Have you voted for your favourite contenders in the 'How to Label a Goat Awards'?

If so, give Daniel Finkelstein some help: click here

The Sunday Times: Red tape is no laughing matter

The Goat — Wed, 15 Nov 2006 15:48:00 +0000

The 'How to Label a Goat' launch party has been getting some attention in the press. Prufrock is not sure whether the champagne regulation is a joke: click here

The Times: To cut red tape, fill in these forms

The Goat — Wed, 15 Nov 2006 15:42:00 +0000

Ross Clark exposes more crazy regulations in The Times: click here

The Mirror: Taken for a ride

The Goat — Wed, 15 Nov 2006 15:52:00 +0000

In today's Daily Mirror, Sue Carroll comments on yet another silly regulation...

"It's about 4ft square and bright red. It rocks up and down and plays a tune.

You'd think most passers-by would be able to avoid the Postman Pat kiddies' ride outside a shoe shop in Market Harborough. Still, the local busybodies have ruled it must go. Somebody might walk into it and get hurt. Yes, somebody might.

If they were colour blind, wearing a Darth Vader helmet and listening to Black Sabbath at full blast.

But you don't get a lot of that around Market Harborough, do you?"

The Goat and Nick Clegg

The Goat — Mon, 13 Nov 2006 11:33:00 +0000

Nick Clegg and the Liberal Democrats have identified a list of the top ten laws we don't need.

It may only involve 10 laws (only another ten thousand to go) but Nick Clegg and the Lib-dems get the Goat's approval.

Red tape and more red tape...

Hh — Wed, 08 Nov 2006 15:21:00 +0000

Some eye opening examples of ridiculous regulation from the pages of How to Label a Goat:

- That there are 279 different tax forms for businesses alone, asking a total of 6,614 questions.

- The notes explaining the Treasury's 'simplified' pensions' regime ran to 1,369 pages.

- The law allows you to kill or give away a bullfinch - but not to sell or barter it.

- A woman from Kilbride was given an ASBO forbidding her from answering the door in her underwear.

- A council spent £5,000 planting yew trees to screen a new children's play area. It then dug them up again after health and safety experts advised children could fall ill if they gobbled 'several handfuls' of leaves.

- One Police force discovered that it had a total of 1,150 different forms on which to report crimes.

- There are 1,300 pages of road traffic law - and that does not even include the law preventing petrol stations selling hot food after 11pm unless they apply for a licence.

- Employers must not hold important meetings on 31 October - it might discriminate against pagans, who, of course, celebrate the festival of Samhain on that day.

- A motorist in Waltham Forest, East London, was fined for parking on double yellow lines that were not even there when he parked his car. The lorry painting the lines had drawn around the stationary vehicle.

- The following things have been reported to be banned in at least one school: making daisy chains (risk of picking up germs); playing hopscotch (risk of injury); making anything out of egg boxes (fear of salmonella); putting hands up (makes pupils who don't have the answers feel victimised); and throwing paper aeroplanes (might cause eye injuries)...

Does red tape get your goat?

Hh — Wed, 08 Nov 2006 11:40:00 +0000

Welcome to the Red Tape blog. This blog accompanies the brand new book How to Label a Goat: The silly rules and regulations that are strangling Britain by Ross Clark.

If you've thrown your arms up in despair while trying to complete an official form and asked yourself "Just what is the point of this?" You're not alone. Red tape in Britain has now reached epidemic proportions. In just 12 months the Government produced a shocking 3,621 pieces of legislation, running to a total of 98,600 pages. That's 70 times as long as War and Peace!

If it wasn't so serious, it would be quite funny.

In this new book, Ross Clark exposes some of the most petty and bizarre rules and regulations which are blighting the lives of Britons today. From the 45 pages of instructions on how to correctly label a goat (or sheep) to the impact that being a deep-sea diver might have on your tax return.

Due out on the 13th of November - order your copy today - available directly from the publisher, Harriman House or from all good online and High Street book shops.