Square Pegs ...

I have complained in the past about the efficiency with which the Civil Service manages to place square pegs in round holes.

Everyone would benefit if only some attempt was made to put people to work at tasks that matched their skills and inclinations. The taxpayer would see more and better work done with his hard-earned dosh and the staff would feel more valued.

On the other hand ...

There's a strong case for limiting or preventing some people from doing the things they like because they do more of them than is good for us.

The high achievers of this world are high achievers because they persuade the rest of us to allow them to do what they like.

The high achievers of this world are high achievers because they do something they like and they persuade the rest of us to let them do an awful lot of it.

Hence we have too many cars; too many bathrooms; too many TVs; too-expensive health care; too much private and Government debt and excessive bank bonuses; rapid depletion of the world's natural resources and global warming etc, etc.

For example. I quite like Professor Brian Cox's TV programs and I admire his knowledge of his subject and his ability to explain it to the layman. But if he had his way we would spend £billions or £trillions going to Mars and other planets. What for? Wouldn't we be better off if we saved the money and treated ourselves to an extra day off work?

When I look around at all of the unnecessary things we have (which we call progress) I wonder can we never say to the high achievers "Stop, we already have enough thank you."

Chained to the Kitchen Sink

I reckon that women (and men) are now tied to their office desks with much shorter chains than those that were alleged to tie their mothers or grandmothers to the kitchen sink. And the shortest chains are attached to those whose employers expect them always to be available by mobile phone.

What's the difference between working at the kitchen sink or working in an office to pay for the washing machine and dishwasher?

Women's lib may have intended to redress the balance between the opportunities open to men and women. But all it has achieved is to leave vast swathes of cities towns and villages empty of men, women and children during the day with the consequent loss of the local community that, in times past, provided security and "family values" in neighbourhoods.

Long ago when paid work commonly required physical effort it was probably reasonable to expect men to do it. But once the nature of work changed there was no reason why it should remain a male prerogative and a young mother ought to expect a fair choice to be made as to whether she, or her partner would be the wage earner. Unfortunately there has been no change in the assumption that men go out to work. Its just that women now go to work as well.

And all for the benefit of the manufacturers and retailers of all the "essential" material goods that your grandparents lived without quite happily - fitted kitchens, TV in every room, dishwashers, fitted carpets, hardwood floors, two cars, exotic baby buggies, dresses, shoes etc etc etc.

Democracy

The present turmoil in Egypt reminds me yet again that the core value of democracy is not that we can choose our politicians at election time, but that they go away quietly when their term of office expires or they lose the confidence of their people.