Too many people on Too many gray trains. thats the problem.

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Doc Hudson

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In a very few words, and a relatively short clip from an interview, that old rocker Roger Daltrey actually summarises a fundamental problem in a nutshell. We don't dislike, Europe or Europeans, but the whole Brussels malarkey with "far to many people on far to many gravy trains soaking us dry"  https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-politics-45890756/roger-daltrey-brexit-won-t-harm-touring-bands

What else is there to add to that?  Could almost be applied to the Electrical industry and BS7671 amendments as well.  Plus the NHS and the Rail network.  It is a sort of one-size-fits-all evaluation, Overcrowded Gravy Trains!

Doc H.

 
In a very few words, and a relatively short clip from an interview, that old rocker Roger Daltrey actually summarises a fundamental problem in a nutshell. We don't dislike, Europe or Europeans, but the whole Brussels malarkey with "far to many people on far to many gravy trains soaking us dry"  https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-politics-45890756/roger-daltrey-brexit-won-t-harm-touring-bands

What else is there to add to that?  Could almost be applied to the Electrical industry and BS7671 amendments as well.  Plus the NHS and the Rail network.  It is a sort of one-size-fits-all evaluation, Overcrowded Gravy Trains!

Doc H.
Doc I have just  taken a picture of the IET/IEE.  NICEIC/NAPPITT/  New Regs book every year committee   Gravy Train    ....it was passing through the Midlands  today .   

DaIewWtX4AEG4UO.jpg

 
True. We seem to have become masters at creating virtual industries out of very little. Health and Safety management is surely the most obvious. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for careing for peoples welfare at work and elsewhere, but does it really need the number of people who seem to make it their full time task now?

I believe that the OTT restrictions we see so often are the result of "Risk Assessors" trying to justify their existence by changing something, anything even!   

Another example that strikes me is driving licences. When I passed my test on a car I could also drive anything up to a 7.5 ton goods vehicle, a minibus, tow any road legal caravan.  These things are now extra license groups with attendant extra tests. There is a DVLA centre a few miles away and I commonly see special driving schools teaching trailer towing, etc. As I say a whole industry which didn't previously exist.

I'm sure there must be many other examples.    I don't blame the EU either. These things are home grown.

(Well that's my Victor Meldrew session for today) 

 
Personally I think its a disgrace  & a rip off.        Didn't the  Sidewinder  say that they HAVE to review the Regs  every couple of years , under EU  conditions  ?  

No electricians there I see! 
They're all electricians  mate .....  arriving in the country before the Brexit borders are  closed !! 

 
the rise of jobsworths and middlemen I think is more to do with de-regulation and limitation of the state leaving a vacuum into which any interfering arse can step and create an empire on BS. Bit like Libya, we got rid of Gaddafi and now the country is split into god knows how many warring factions fighting for control...with the ordinary people stuck in the middle suffering. A lot gets blamed on the EU (some of it deservedly) but I really think the issue is deeper than that.

 
Not original, I found it elsewhere, but SO relevant:

An interesting (fictional) tale, a little too close to the truth, I think.

The Story Of An Ant

Every day, an ant arrives at work very early and starts work immediately. She produces a lot and is very happy.
The Chief, a Lion was surprised to see the ant working without supervision. So the Lion thought that if the ant produces so much without supervision, how much more would the ant produce if supervised.
So he recruited a Cockroach, who had extensive experience as a supervisor and was excellent at writing reports.
The Cockroaches first idea was to set up a "clocking in" system, he also needed a secretary to assist him with writing and filing reports. He then recruited a Spider to manage the archives and monitor all phone conversations.
The Lion was delighted with the Cockroaches reports and asked him to produce graphs of production rates and to analyse trends, so he could use them for presentations at Board meetings.
This meant that the Cockroach had to buy a new computer, laser printer and ........recruited a Fly to manage the I.T dept.
The Ant who had once been so productive and relaxed, hated this new plethora of paperwork and meetings, which now took up most of her time .....
The Lion came to the decision it was high time he nominated someone to take charge of the dept. where the ant worked.
The position was given to a Cicada who's first decision was to buy a new carpet and an ergonomic chair, for his office. ToThe new person, the Cicada needed a new computer and a personal assistant, who he brought from his previous dept., to help him prepare a work and Budget Control Strategic Optimisation Plan.
It was at this time that the Cicada convinced his boss the Lion, of the absolute necessity to start a climatic study of the environment.
Having reviewed the charges for running the Ants dept., the Lion found out that production was far less than before.
So he recruited Owl, a prestigious and renowned consultant, to carry out an audit and put forward suggestions. The Owl spent three months in the dept and came up with an enormous report in several volumes, that concluded the dept. was over staffed.
Guess who the Lion fires first. . . . . . Yes, the ant because it showed "LACK OF MOTIVATION AND HAD A NEGATIVE ATTITUDE."

And this is why we have, over the years, added over 200,000 new government employees, and no one can explain why we are still in a recession. It's not a good time to be an ant. 
And......

That's why I am SOOO thankful to be RETIRED!, Just keep sending my pension.

 
One of my biggest clients held a management meeting every Monday morning at 0900......tea, coffee, biccies etc. It could go on for hours.

one day the chairman called me in as they had lost a major client and needed to,do,some cost/energy cutting

my first suggestion was to put the NS heaters on a timer so they did not warm up on a Friday and Saturday night. This was linked to an IMI Pactrol system....saved a fortune

second suggestion was to move the Monday morning meetings to Fridays at 1600, subsequently the meetings usually lasted about 30 mins or so

and I got a nice bung for the suggestions

 
I have to say that  looking back 25 years  , as another entity  ,  busy electrical contractors ..12 sparks ,  three apprentii  etc      it became extremely noticeable  how many  meeting some  people we dealt with actually had  !!!    

On  particular place ..."I'm sorry he,s in a meeting  until  4.30  "   etc     I used to think ," What the hell are they meeting about now "    

I also noticed that a lot of site meetings  ,, ( part of my job  to attend )   were being  dragged out  more & more .....  I think stretching them out so they didn't have to return to their office (s)  .... whereas I and other contractors  ,  heating guy etc  , were extremely busy  and needed to get on with our  day ....three places at once etc    

No cell phones then  so after an hour from the start of the meeting  , my boss would call my bleeper  ...I'd have to go to a phone ,  and be "Called out on something urgent "      All the pertinent points had been covered by then  so instead of listening to suits waffling  you could get off to doing something useful . 

One of the biggest waste of time was a big job we had on.... a British Gas  depot was being moved about 500 mtrs   to make way for a new road layout  .    We were summoned to attend  the first site meeting .    When I got to the new site  , it was a mudbath ,  JCB's  digging  everywhere  , drainage trenches  being dug ,  snow falling ,  some Portacabins   .   

This Main Contractor Project Manager says  "I've got you lot here  ...(  Heating , Ducting , Electrics etc )  to make sure your installations do not clash  up  the  purlins  and that "   !!!!!!     

I remember looking at the heating guy  and we both said  "  Well do you want to get the building out of the ground  then we can take a look at it "   :C    

 
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I have to say @Geoff1946 this is exactly what is wrong with the world (western, not sure about the rest) and why I voted to leave the overpaid EU beaurocrats. I don't dislike the EU, I'm just fed up with paying for it.

 
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