Our latest exampple of stupid thinking from Ross Clark and also Rachel Bowen.
Another example from Ross Clark’s ‘How to label a goat – the silly rules and regulations that are strangling Britain’.
South West Trains was ordered to remove 28 trains from service because the lettering on its electronic messages were only 32mm high rather than the approved 35 mm.
The trains were removed after a complaint that partially sighted passengers might have trouble reading them.
Although the trains had been built before the new regulations, and also passengers were also informed over the tannoy was not taken into account, resulting in the trains being withdrawn from service.
It consequently led to a shortage of rolling stock with many services reduced from eight to four carriages, and generating significant overcrowding and more people standing.
While efforts to improve the world for those less abled are to be passionately defended, then process for achieving this surely must be tempered with flexibility. Was it really in the interests of disabled passengers to have overcrowded trains?
A good example of 3 star stupidity.
Some 2 star stupidity witnessed by Rachel Bowen:
“A number of years ago, while still living in the U.K., I was unemployed. I received a letter from the unemployment office saying that I had been awarded nine pounds something a week, ‘but perhaps you will not be able to manage on this, contact our office to apply for Supplementary Benefit, don’t wait in the queue, go directly to desk xxx.”
I got to the office, there was no desk xxx, so I asked someone at another desk where it was. I got a stream of abuse from a harridan, who was abusing everyone, including one poor (literally) woman who was late for her appointment because there was no public transport from where she lived to get to the appointment on time.
I finally got to see ‘someone’ who was actualy very polite – BUT- “you can’t receive Supplementary Benefit because your husband is working” But what if it was my husband who was unemployed? and I was working? “Oh he could receive supplementary benefit.”
I aslo complained to this person about the treatment of the poor woman who had been told to come back another day. I pointed out that all the people in the office had jobs BECAUSE other eople were less fortunate, and it was unfair to treat them as if they were to blame.
I didn’t leave the matter there. I made an appointment to see my M.P. (Dafydd Ellis Thomas, now Lord Ellis Thomas). I related the whole story to him and he was appalled. The law was changed, and I like to think that it was because I had reacted the way I had. At least that I had had some part in it.
O.K. I am articulate, well-educated and bloody minded, but what about those people who are not capable of reacting like I do?
By the way, I got thrown out of the University of Swansea as a result of some very stupid thinking – the reaction to Kingsley Amis et al and the Black papers,(More means worse). I was devastated at the time, but it has proved to be the best thing that could have happened.
What do you think of these examples – have you anjy more to add? Share what you have witnessed.
Stupid Aid 