There's Always A Bureaucrat In The Way

British Bureaucracy drives me mad. It's one of the reasons I want to stay in Europe - it offers an escape route! I watch a lot of Grand Designs on the television, even the repeats. I find the presenter Kevin McCloud, insightful, enthusiastic and engaging. Recently I watched an episode where a couple purchased an old run down RNLI lifeboat station, built on girders above the sea.

Hell of a challenge to make a marvellous home from that, but they did it. Clever, determined, go for it kind of people. They also preserved the place. After huge investment and hard work, outside it now looks very much like it did when it was built. Inside it was just an open space with a sloping slipway. To make that a home you have to put in floors and stairs, walls and plumbing, the lot. So, preserving the interior isn't really an issue. Nonetheless, the planners, bureaucrats that is, denied the owners a hand rail they wanted. Petty.

If it was a Tudor building and someone wanted to rip the heart out of it I can see that there would be a point to stopping them, for future generations and for posterity, but what happened here was an abuse of power, I get a say so I'll use it, I have power, I will wield it. I can't see the planners being invited to dinner parties there, so they'll never see it again. The thoughtful Mr McCloud made a comment to the effect that you win some battles and lose others and that whatever you try to achieve there's always a bureaucrat standing in the way. How true. How very, very true.

Malcolm Snook

I've Been Assigned A Case Officer!!

You might think from the title of this blog post that I'm on parole, probation or accused of something, but no I'm just a small landlord who, after years of working hard and seeing pensions devalued (especially private pensions), invested in property and who provides affordable housing and is responsible about repairs etc. I use professional letting agents to make sure everything is legal and correct and of course leasehold properties also have managing  agents charging as much as they can for the upkeep of the building and communal areas.

So, on  Saturday, out of the blue I get a letter, which says it's a reminder, but which is news to me. Why does bad news always come on a Saturday when there's very little chance of getting anything done and messing up the weekend?

So, now I need a licence to be a landlord in Hastings and pay up quick to get a discount down to £185 or it will be a monstrous £460! Profiteering by a council, who could think such a thing. After two phone calls to the managing agents, one to the property management, two to the council and a lot of time filling out forms online and on the phone I've now made my application for a licence. I have a reference number to show I'm a fit and proper person as well, and the managing agent has one too.

However, as a final shot I'm told I'm being assigned a case officer and in some weeks time I MAY get a licence to carry on my business.

Along, probably with thousands of small landlords what will actually happen is that in the next two years I will sell up and probably invest every penny I own overseas, because that's how fed up I am with British stupidity, bureaucracy and stealth taxes. I don't mind anyone looking to see if I have a criminal record, because I don't, I've never even had a single point on my driving licence, but this is creating artificial jobs; bureaucrats don't make anything or any contribution to the nation's economy, if we still made stuff in the UK we'd be a sight better off. Unfortunately anyone who works, or worked, hard and invested is now a target to pay the national debt and top up councils.

We were conned into opting out of SERPS, then Gordon Brown wiped billions, literally billions possibly five hundred billion pounds, off the value of private pensions so he'd have more to spend, now those of us who invested in property to secure our futures are public enemy number one. Ironically the government is advertising on tv that we should take pensions advice from them. Too late for me but if you're thinking about trusting them think again.

The only one who can secure your future is you and politicians, national or local, of any party are your opposition! That's Britain today and by the way if you vote to leave Europe you could lose your right to live somewhere else when it all gets too much!

About the author

British Police Unfit For Purpose

Surrey Police have apologised. They did NOTHING when a mother reported her child was being groomed. Her child was subsequently murdered. This is after Rotherham, Savile and the like. I've said it before and I'll say it again, the British Police are unfit for purpose, someone needs to take a very close look, or we should start over.

Thirty Two Bags Of Poo

Went for a walk around Damflask Reservoir the other day. I think it's technically South Yorkshire, but it's within the Peak District National Park and it's a lovely spot with a footpath most of the way around and a short stretch of pavement. The whole walk is about three and a half miles. I started noticing little plastic bags on the path and by the side of it. A burst one revealed them to be holding dog shit. So I started counting from then on in. I got up to thirty two bags of poo. There are two bins especially provided for bags of dog poo and notices asking dog owners to be thoughtful and responsible, but to no avail, thirty two bags of poo. Plastic bags are not good for the environment it would be better if dogs just pooed in the bushes, what are these people on? Are they ignorant, stupid, selfish, all three? It's a beauty spot a public amenity, little kids who are inquisitive and pick things up and play with them go there too. Thirty two bags of poo. People eh!

Don't let them grind you down!

But whose job!

On the BBC news recently it was stated that 'leavers', that's those who want to leave the European Union, feel that job losses would be worth the pain in the long run. Ah, but what if it's your job? I was made redundant once years ago and I wouldn't wish it on anyone, feels like your whole world is falling apart. I'll bet most of the campaigners who think the pain will be worth it don't think it'll be themselves in pain. Think about that when you vote eh!

'Career Criminals'

The Hatton Garden robbers just received derisory sentences, because they pleaded guilty in part. Of course these old duffers are attracting a degree of sympathy from the small of intellect. Yes they might even die in jail, oh how sad. The police described them as 'career criminals' and that gets my goat. It's not a career, it's wrong doing, it's taking from others what they have usually earned. A career is where you get off your arse and work. Of the fourteen million stolen only four million has been recovered, probably more by luck than judgement and one robber at least is still at large. End the use of the term career criminals, lifetime criminals, call 'em what you like but not that. And give them a permanent term after their sentence, until the goods and cash are returned.

Claudia Lawrence

Seven years ago Yorkshire chef Claudia Lawrence disappeared. The police may not have been super efficient, hard to know, shadowy CCTV pictures are pretty useless really. What gets my goat though is that someone out there knows something and they're keeping quiet to protect a friend or relative while Claudia's family go on suffering with no closure. Keeping quiet is pure evil.