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The parasites that rule us

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    The parasites that rule us

    I'm kind of dipping my toe in the water as it were with this post as I'm not a David Icke conspiracy theorist but it's gradually been dawning on me recently how things work and I was wondering if anyone else agrees or can perhaps just tell me I'm paranoid.

    A few days ago I posted about the death of the high street and how swingeing business rates and parking charges etc were contributing to this. Since then, I've had a number of experiences which have highlighted how there is what I view as a parasitic bureaucratic cum legal layer that ostensibly exists for the same reasons that such things have always existed but really is there only to serve the people who comprise that layer be it local govt, Quangos, lawyers or whatever. And nobody seems immune from them - no matter how small the concern.

    I've been doing a bit of hiking round the SW coast path recently and made some enquiries into how much it would cost to arrive on foot with a 1 man tent. I was thinking 10 quid max. One campsite in Croyde quoted me £35! Of course, I commented on how steep the rates were and more than one of them mentioned higher business rates, work they had to undertake to satisfy their public liability insurance, increased premiums - things like that.

    Now it seems they are getting their tentacles into these so called "pop up" ventures. Ok, if you have a pizza oven in your garden from which you sell pizzas to members of the public you should probably pay some kind of business rate. But a bloke up the road who has done this for the last couple of years had to stop doing it this year because of the normal crap - mostly work he needed to do for health and safety - and also disabled access. No point carrying on - how would he ever compete with Pizza Express?

    Another thing that I believe will be short lived (can't remember the name of the website but it's very popular among caravaners etc) is that scheme where you park up for free and spend the night in the carpark of a local pub, shop, cafe whatever on the premise that you will pop into said shop and spend some money. This, apparently, flouts certain laws and they are starting to crack down on that now. Ditto the simliar thing where you let shoppers park on your drive via some website.

    My point is that anything undertaken by the regular person in the street will ultimately have the life force sucked out of it by this smothering, parasitic layer leaving the way open for the big boys to carry on as before.

    #2
    On a completely unrelated note, whatever happened to Timberwolf?
    Practically perfect in every way....there's a time and (more importantly) a place for malarkey.
    +5 Xeno Cool Points

    Comment


      #3
      It sounds as if you may be impacted by CUK's new interface with the Illuminati's automated bureaucracy multiplier, based on the length and dullness of posts.

      Comment


        #4
        Originally posted by zoco View Post
        I've been doing a bit of hiking round the SW coast path
        Hiking! You should get your chauffeur to drive you. Don't forget a seperate car for your butler.

        Comment


          #5
          I passed by a barbers the other day who had a sign up advertising a free beer with every late night haircut.

          'That won't happen for long' I said to myself.

          Comment


            #6
            Originally posted by zoco View Post
            I'm kind of dipping my toe in the water as it were with this post as I'm not a David Icke conspiracy theorist but it's gradually been dawning on me recently how things work and I was wondering if anyone else agrees or can perhaps just tell me I'm paranoid.

            A few days ago I posted about the death of the high street and how swingeing business rates and parking charges etc were contributing to this. Since then, I've had a number of experiences which have highlighted how there is what I view as a parasitic bureaucratic cum legal layer that ostensibly exists for the same reasons that such things have always existed but really is there only to serve the people who comprise that layer be it local govt, Quangos, lawyers or whatever. And nobody seems immune from them - no matter how small the concern.

            I've been doing a bit of hiking round the SW coast path recently and made some enquiries into how much it would cost to arrive on foot with a 1 man tent. I was thinking 10 quid max. One campsite in Croyde quoted me £35! Of course, I commented on how steep the rates were and more than one of them mentioned higher business rates, work they had to undertake to satisfy their public liability insurance, increased premiums - things like that.

            Now it seems they are getting their tentacles into these so called "pop up" ventures. Ok, if you have a pizza oven in your garden from which you sell pizzas to members of the public you should probably pay some kind of business rate. But a bloke up the road who has done this for the last couple of years had to stop doing it this year because of the normal crap - mostly work he needed to do for health and safety - and also disabled access. No point carrying on - how would he ever compete with Pizza Express?

            Another thing that I believe will be short lived (can't remember the name of the website but it's very popular among caravaners etc) is that scheme where you park up for free and spend the night in the carpark of a local pub, shop, cafe whatever on the premise that you will pop into said shop and spend some money. This, apparently, flouts certain laws and they are starting to crack down on that now. Ditto the simliar thing where you let shoppers park on your drive via some website.

            My point is that anything undertaken by the regular person in the street will ultimately have the life force sucked out of it by this smothering, parasitic layer leaving the way open for the big boys to carry on as before.
            Last time I did hiking / camping I used to set the tent up in the sand dunes and walk into any local campsite to use their facilities

            The business rate comment is very valid
            How fortunate for governments that the people they administer don't think

            Comment


              #7
              Anyone else think this was going to be about the mod team?
              Originally posted by Stevie Wonder Boy
              I can't see any way to do it can you please advise?

              I want my account deleted and all of my information removed, I want to invoke my right to be forgotten.

              Comment


                #8
                Originally posted by SimonMac View Post
                Anyone else think this was going to be about the mod team?
                Its got alot better since MF was sacked.

                Comment


                  #9
                  Originally posted by Troll View Post

                  The business rate comment is very valid
                  Its the gold plated pensions, councillors holidays sorry fact finding tours and outreach workers savage Tory cuts innit.

                  the Councils have had their central funding cut and limits on their council tax so they are looking round for cash wherever they can get it.
                  Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Originally posted by zoco View Post
                    <snip>I've been doing a bit of hiking round the SW coast path recently and made some enquiries into how much it would cost to arrive on foot with a 1 man tent. I was thinking 10 quid max. One campsite in Croyde quoted me £35! Of course, I commented on how steep the rates were and more than one of them mentioned higher business rates, work they had to undertake to satisfy their public liability insurance, increased premiums - things like that.
                    2 minutes on Google found this - Croyde, 7 or more night stay, £10 per adult.

                    An alternative explanation to your £35 might be, "if it's Bank Holiday weekend then we're going to screw you for all you can spend, but we don't want to tell you that so we'll blame it on rates". Or maybe, "we have better facilities so we charge more". Or any other explanation.

                    Originally posted by zoco View Post
                    Now it seems they are getting their tentacles into these so called "pop up" ventures. Ok, if you have a pizza oven in your garden from which you sell pizzas to members of the public you should probably pay some kind of business rate. But a bloke up the road who has done this for the last couple of years had to stop doing it this year because of the normal crap - mostly work he needed to do for health and safety - and also disabled access. No point carrying on - how would he ever compete with Pizza Express?
                    Do you think that Pizza Express doesn't have to pay business rates, or provide disabled access, or comply with H&S? It's a normal cost of doing business with the public. My wife had to do basic food hygiene and serving alcohol courses before going into the food business, why should your dodgy neighbour get away with substandard practices?

                    Originally posted by zoco View Post
                    Another thing that I believe will be short lived (can't remember the name of the website but it's very popular among caravaners etc) is that scheme where you park up for free and spend the night in the carpark of a local pub, shop, cafe whatever on the premise that you will pop into said shop and spend some money. This, apparently, flouts certain laws and they are starting to crack down on that now. Ditto the simliar thing where you let shoppers park on your drive via some website.
                    I think I see the problem.

                    Originally posted by zoco View Post
                    My point is that anything undertaken by the regular person in the street will ultimately have the life force sucked out of it by this smothering, parasitic layer leaving the way open for the big boys to carry on as before.
                    I'm pretty sure the "big boys" aren't setting up caravan parks in Devon, or selling pizzas out of their back yards.

                    Although I did see that the food vans are banned from parking out the front of the Gherkin for a while, so maybe you're on to something big here.

                    Comment

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