Andy Hall wrote:

My post was about the proposed part P to the Building Regulations.

Perhaps you would like to return to the topic and comment on that.

Like with many things this government, the legislative process seems to be:-

1) Find some industry that is ticking along nicely without too much
heavy handed regulation. Next come up with some half baked idea that
will "correct" a perceived* problem in said industry, but in reality
will achieve the exact opposite of the intention.

(* Where perception of the problem seems to emanate from either The Home
secretary / Orifice of the deputy prime minister / Inland revenue /
QUANGO of your choice (delete as appropriate) - but no one else in the
real world is aware of the "problem")

2) Have some form of "consultation" which you start by not announcing to
anyone, fail to include interested organisations (especially those
likely to be most negatively affected by the legislation), and where
where you ignore the responses you don't like and only concentrate on
those from large interested groups who stand to benefit from said daft
legislation. (ID cards anyone?)

3) Force said legislation through parliament - preferably using a
"statutory instrument" so that further meddling can be done to "embrace
and extend" (TM Microsoft) said legislation later, without need for
"troublesome" scrutiny by the HoC. (EUCD, or RIP act ?)

4) Realise in a few years that said legislation is not achieving the
desired result. Employ more public servants to help enforce compliance
with the legislation.

5) Just in time for said industry to wither and die / get exported to
third world body shop of choice / become dominated by large
multinational corporations who achieve less for five times the money etc.

6) The upside is there may be some nice directorships / backhanders for
the MPs responsible, when they finally get booted out of office.


So if that all plays out with regard to part P of the building regs we
should be getting to 3 any time now. 4 will be a large recruitment drive
for little Hitler's to work in local gov. building control offices. 5
will be growth in large trade bodies, big electrical firms, and
diversification in to electrical contracting by the big US owned
consulting operations (probably bringing immigrant labour in on the fast
track visa scheme since there is a "skills shortage" of local indigenous
electricians - prepared to work for 4.50/hour that is).

Joe public will have never heard of part P of the building regs and will
carry on DIYing. They may find out when they have trouble selling their
house, but a nice cottage industry in post certification will spring up
(the more Internet savvy will just download a suitable certification
form from the web and print it out).

You may find it harder to buy electrical "bits" from the sheds, so more
of jo public's relations will croak as a result of that dodgy socket
that they would have fixed if only they could have got the replacement
part, but weren't prepared to pay 75 quid for Mr. Accredited wiring
monkey to come and do if for them.

Still look at the bright side - we will be so much safer now the gov.
has spent millions of our money looking after us like this.... thanks Nanny.

Maybe this is just a figment of my warped mind! Someone reassure me!


--
Cheers,

John.

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