Diplomacy Forsaken

"We obey the government because we are afraid of being penalised. The system is called democracy."     Broughton

In my next life I'm coming back as a politician. Bullshit is free and people listen to officialdom because they don't have the democratic choice.

But seriously, New Zealand is becoming the most over regulated country in the world. The Labour Party's socialistic attempt to control all aspects of human behaviour is failing dramatically. And quite rightly so. Their recent law demanding all dogs be micro chipped to stop them attacking little children is quite plainly stupid. Resistance from local councils who are obligated to enforce the law is growing. Amongst others, the Masterton Council has passed a resolution that it will be a "low priority." In other words, the new law will be ignored. Shortly, farmers representatives from the South Island will protest at Parliament demanding a commonsense rethink. Should the Labour Party ignore its growing unpopularity, it will be in opposition for many years. People have just about had enough of the idiot bureaucracy destroying New Zealand. "I'm only doing my job" civil servants are at last being treated with the contempt they so richly deserve.

But wait, there's more. Recently my wife decided she had lost her drivers licence. It's a plastic fantastic the size of a credit card and contains a photo and other electronic information. I suspect it also contains information unrelated to driving. Is Big Brother keeping tabs on her movements?

One would think it would be a simple matter to cancel her old licence on the computer data base and issue a new one, perhaps with an updated photo. But no. There's a whole host of new rules to follow. She had to supply a copy her original birth certificate. The obvious fact that she's held a drivers licence for forty years wasn't enough. A fee of $26 was demanded and she could order a copy via the internet. It arrived eight days later and did not contain her full name, nor the correct names of her parents. But it did say that her father was 99% Maori and her mother was a half-caste. This was false information but who cares?

In the meantime she had to visit the local police station and get a piece of paper stating that she had lost her drivers licence. Another piece of mindless bureaucracy? Luckily the cop knew her, shook his head tiredly and said he was only following orders. But rules, no matter how stupid, had to be followed. It was in the book! Therefore a piece of paper stating the obvious had to be issued. Maybe this would protect her from un-micro chipped dog attacks? Yeah Right!

Then she had to return to licence issuing office and pay to get another piece of paper stating that the new computer cough-out was a temporary drivers licence that would expire in twenty one days when her new licence was scheduled to arrive by the notoriously unreliable NZ Post. Then she had to visit her bank and get a piece of paper stating that they knew her and that she was a customer. And yes, she was the woman described on the temporary licence. This had to be shown at the licence issuing office despite the fact the lady behind the desk had known her for many years.

One wonders how many temporary licences will need to issued until the bureaucratic gibberish sorts itself out? Strangely they didn't decide to take a new digital photo. And yes, her lost licence has to be physically destroyed or the new one will be invalid.

No doubt the politicians will cite national security and terrorism as the excuse for the mindless bureaucracy and expensive inconvenience to my long suffering wife. Putting up with me is bad enough and she has my sympathy. But having to put up with such bureaucratic idiocy is driving many Kiwis to a better life in other countries. But it wouldn't be politically or diplomatically correct for me to say so. Therefore I won't. So there!

"Nothing is so disastrous to man than politics. But the real killer is bureaucratic stupidity."         Broughton