“Fings ain’t what they used to be”

That was a very popular show back in the ‘60’s. It struck a chord partly because we all moan about things going downhill.

For instance, for hundreds – no, thousands – of years, people used to get married then have kids, and bring the kids up by copying what their parents did.

Of course, some people were better at it than others and some were downright disastrous – just as in every other area of life. But here’s an absolute guarantee that things are going to get worse.

“£30m for national parenting academy

King’s College London, the Family and Parenting Institute, and Parenting UK, have been awarded £30 million by the Department for Education to create a new centre of excellence called the National Academy for Parenting Practitioners, which will carry out parenting research and provide quality support for parents. Based at the Strand Campus it will be launched in October 2007.”

Yes, folks, another “initiative” – no doubt based on some half-witted “vision”, and the idiots are in charge again.

And you know what? I have a better idea. Assume for a moment that people should run their own lives, for better or worse.

Assume, too, that they should do it with their own money.

Why? Because this – like all the other dopey ideas we’re subjected to – comes about as follows.

A politician, far too busy lying to think, pays a consultant plus maybe some academics to think for him or her about a problem. They go away and spend a long time thinking (a lot of it about how much to charge).

Then there’s lots of expensive research into what happens in the real world, as the politician is only good at politics and has never had a proper job, a state of affairs which allows no time for contact with reality.

Then there’s an expensive report. This is considered by a committee, whose members get well paid to ruminate and discuss. It is printed and circulated – which costs money

Then, there are some proposals – which cost money. Then something like the £30 million loony-tunes scheme above comes into effect, the money being given to more consultants and for more research.

Later, when it emerges that the square root of f**k-all has been achieved by all this administrative masturbation, a further committee is set up – and so on.

People may not be too smart, but they can’t be any more stupid than that, can they?

As Ronald Reagan said, “One of the most frightening things you will ever hear is: ‘I’m from the government, and I’m here to help’”.