The news that a nativity play is under threat unless the virgin Mary wears a riding hat made me chuckle this morning…
It’s that kind of story – as seen in today’s Metro – that certainly catches the eye – makes a few people scratch their heads – whilst others (me included) ruefully look at the latest Test score and wonder if this ‘nanny state’ of ours is getting out of control…
Kids need to take risks simple as that – and don’t get me started on No Ball Game signs – but I digress…
Hey don’t get me wrong I of course believe in safety first and as a dad and granddad I know how kids can get hurt. And yeah I want safer working environments – safer roads yada yada. But there has to be a balance…
We Should Be More Like Danger Mouse
On trips to India I’ve marvelled at whole families – including new borns – astride 50cc mopeds. And in one memorable moment I watched dumbfounded as the local electricity guy hopped off a push bike, shimmied up a pole and plunged his hand into a mass of live wires, before rummaging around and getting the power back on all in 5 minutes!!!In Britain that power cut would have involved cordoning off the street, menacing looking men in hi vis jackets arriving – lots of head scratching before the boys from the Health and Safety Executive arrived and decided the wrong kind of protective eye wear had been issued – work stopped until suitable pair found and sod the ‘customers’…
During a memorable exchange with my ‘jobs advisor’ many years ago I was told a vacancy existed on a Health and Safety course that might lead to employment – I can still remember her face as I explained it wasn’t the job for me:
‘Sadly I’m too much of an optimist’ I said…
Years later as the manager of a residential home I was tasked with writing ‘risk assessments’ for the clients…
I asked the area manager risk assessments on what exactly and her breezy reply was ‘everything’…
Now you try writing a detailed risk assessment on ‘everything’ within a residential home (whilst still doing all your other duties) and you can see why translating War and Peace into Pig Latin with a quill pen was far more appealing…
Whilst Health and Safety has many benefits – I guess saving lives is one of them – but over protective authoritarian ‘we know best’ Governments and the insidious and at times ridiculous legislation passed ‘for our own good’ is not only unhealthy – but damaging in my humble opinion…
In a free and (allegedly) democratic society such as the UK – we should be allowed to make more of our own choices without the constant control and all powerful eye of the Government.
Stop with the bloody new laws made for ‘our own good’ and spend more time getting us out of the mess you and the bankers have gotten us into.
It’s really quite simple – educate – don’t legislate…
Right I’m off to change a light bulb balancing on 3 legged rickety stool atop a wobbly table in a bucket of water…
Nothing could go wrong now could it..?
Disclaimer: Yes I know you could die or become a paraplegic falling off a donkey without a helmet – or the donkey could stampede all over the audience of happy moms and dads taking photos of their precious one in a nativity play…
Ooops – wait a minute – we’re NOT allowed to take photos of kids in nativity plays any more as the photos might get in the hands of the vile paedos lurking all over the web…
And if we DID dare to take a few snapshots on our smart phone to send to Granny and we accidentally include an image of Mary without written consent and a legal disclaimer form we will probably get sued and end up losing our homes and becoming homeless – or something…
I think you get my point…
Funny Warning Signs
Some are real and some (I hope lol) are well just plain funny…
Mutant Ducks Warning
Children Sold
No Boob Grabbing
Beware of Tree Huggers
Chainsaws Hurt
And my all time favorite silly warning sign:
Danger Salad
I mean lets face it it’s not until you’ve stared down an angry out of control psychotic cucumber…
That you know what danger really is!!!
