Mad Dictators

[SteamyTea]

6 hours ago, Roger440 said:

Could i do do better. Absolutely, 100%

But you are not going to do it.  Seems like a fear of failure.

[Roger440]

3 hours ago, SteamyTea said:

But you are not going to do it.  Seems like a fear of failure.

 

Im retiring, so dont need another job, but regardless, i wouldnt get the job, nor would anyone else  precisely for the reason that one may have some competence. Not welcome at the council. I donate some of my time to the village hall instead.

 

Given ive run 3 business's, all of them profitable, all with excellent customer reputation, and one which i sold allowing an earlier retirement, with respect, id suggest i have a reasonable degree of competence that doesnt need further demonstration. You may choose not to believe me, but im pretty confident id not organise a change to bin collections that failed to cosider the 2 most basic aspects of that activity.

 

Aside from demonstrating someones utter stupidity, and dont forget, stupidity with OUR money, it does, however, raise broader questions, probably not for this thread, about how our political system results in totally inappropiate people to rising to the top.

[SteamyTea]

19 minutes ago, Roger440 said:

it does, however, raise broader questions, probably not for this thread, about how our political system results in totally inappropiate people to rising to the top.

There is a saying that 'bad things happen when good people do nothing'.

You are doing nothing, but feel entitled to criticise. To me there is a disjoint in thinking there.

[Beelbeebub]

11 hours ago, Roger440 said:

Could i do do better. Absolutely, 100%

Then do it.

 

Stop carping and become a parish councillor. You'll probably find things aren't as easy as you think and then have to endure people calling you useless and saying they could 100% do better.

[Beelbeebub]

34 minutes ago, Roger440 said:

 

Im retiring, so dont need another job

Retired people make up a large % of parish councillors because they have the free time.

[Beelbeebub]

36 minutes ago, Roger440 said:

I donate some of my time to the village hall instead.

 

And i bet everyone marvels at how well run the ville hall is.

 

Absolutely nobody whines about the booking system or the noise or the parking or the sound system or the kitchen not being laid out well or any of the hundreds of reasons people complain about the village hall.

Edited yesterday at 08:54 by Beelbeebub

[Beelbeebub]

Running a business and local politics/volunteering organisations are different.

 

People don't really understand local politics and what they can and cannot do witness reform candidates running for country council positions on a platform of stopping the small boats - an area in which they have absolutely zero power.

 

I would suggest you try a turn at parish council - with your amazing competence I am sure you'll be able to turn things around and then you won't have to worry about the recycling or potholes or whatever irked you.

 

And in the unlikely event you fail you'll have learned a lesson in how even brilliant people with good intentions can't always succeed.

[saveasteading]

1 hour ago, Roger440 said:

inappropiate people to rising to the top.

I've found the blockages in progress to be right in the middle of local authorities' hierarchy.

The hands on people who have good ideas find they get passed up the chain then stop.

The highly competent top administrators give instructions down the chain until they stop. At the same level and even the same person, who has reached their level of incompetence and wants nothing to change.

I imagine it us veey difficult to remove that blockage: in fact one chief executive of a LA pretty well told me as much.

We can get rid of the incompetent politicians, at least in theory.

 

As for praise for the people who do something for the community.... it exists but is drowned out by the complainers who expect something for nothing, but don't contribute.

[Roger440]

13 hours ago, SteamyTea said:

There is a saying that 'bad things happen when good people do nothing'.

You are doing nothing, but feel entitled to criticise. To me there is a disjoint in thinking there.

I do feel free to criticise, they are spending our money. And as such shuold be held accountable for their actions. Thats hows its supposed to wotk.

 

Can you imagine how bad things would be if only those in the system were allowed to comment?  Which is what you appear to be proposing.

[Roger440]

13 hours ago, Beelbeebub said:

Running a business and local politics/volunteering organisations are different.

 

People don't really understand local politics and what they can and cannot do witness reform candidates running for country council positions on a platform of stopping the small boats - an area in which they have absolutely zero power.

 

I would suggest you try a turn at parish council - with your amazing competence I am sure you'll be able to turn things around and then you won't have to worry about the recycling or potholes or whatever irked you.

 

And in the unlikely event you fail you'll have learned a lesson in how even brilliant people with good intentions can't always succeed.

No thanks. Parish councils are mostly pointless talking shops with little power, see my previous post. They dont "do" anything much.

 

My friend is the chair of the parish council, ive discussed. Conclusion was, dont do it.

 

For some reason you believe we should just accept nothing much works anymore. Odd.

[Roger440]

13 hours ago, Beelbeebub said:

And i bet everyone marvels at how well run the ville hall is.

 

Absolutely nobody whines about the booking system or the noise or the parking or the sound system or the kitchen not being laid out well or any of the hundreds of reasons people complain about the village hall.

No ones complained about what i do. Because im not a moron.

[Roger440]

13 hours ago, saveasteading said:

I've found the blockages in progress to be right in the middle of local authorities' hierarchy.

The hands on people who have good ideas find they get passed up the chain then stop.

The highly competent top administrators give instructions down the chain until they stop. At the same level and even the same person, who has reached their level of incompetence and wants nothing to change.

I imagine it us veey difficult to remove that blockage: in fact one chief executive of a LA pretty well told me as much.

We can get rid of the incompetent politicians, at least in theory.

 

As for praise for the people who do something for the community.... it exists but is drowned out by the complainers who expect something for nothing, but don't contribute.

Id agree, plenty of competemt people at the bottom. Like the road crew that came to patch up the road by my house. Again. Talking to them, they know what they are doing there is pointless. The old guy who has bern there since the dawn of time is the first to admit its depressing.

 

Im not so sure where these highley competent top administrators are though?

 

Agree however, its clear its near impossoble to get rid of useless people. Which is of course self fulfilling. These aee people that simply wouldnt survive in the real world.

[Roger440]

14 hours ago, Beelbeebub said:

Retired people make up a large % of parish councillors because they have the free time.

They do indeed.

 

However, ive worked flatout for 40 years, so, i will soon be trying enjoy the limited time i have left enjoying myself, not wasting ut in parish council meetings.

[Mike]

1 hour ago, Roger440 said:

Parish councils are mostly pointless talking shops with little power, see my previous post. They dont "do" anything much.

I'd dispute pointless, but I would agree that they have limited powers & cash.

 

The French equivalent (Municipal Council) has much more of both; if they did nothing, there would be a riot. They have responsibility for:

• planning permission & building permits (within National guidelines), land use (sometimes)
• preschools, elementary schools, after-school clubs (except for paying the teachers)
• community support (e.g. daycare for children, home care for the elderly, financial & other aid to those in need)
• local culture & heritage (e.g. libraries, museums, theatres, community centres, festivals, events)
• sport & recreation (sports grounds, swimming pools, gyms, supporting local clubs & associations)
• the environment (natural environment, public parks & gardens, maintaining local roads, regulating advertising)
• safety & public order (by-laws, public behaviour, municipal police, public health)
• water supply, sewerage, waste, recycling (though those may soon be moved up the chain)
• organising & running elections
• any and all other matters of local interest (unless the powers are allocated to another body)

 

Edited 19 hours ago by Mike

[Roger440]

6 minutes ago, Mike said:

I'd dispute pointless, but I would agree that they have limited powers & cash.

 

The French equivalent (Municipal Council) has much more of both; if they did nothing, there would be a riot. They have responsibility for:

• planning permission & building permits (within National guidelines), land use (sometimes)
• preschools, elementary schools, after-school clubs (except for paying the teachers)
• community support (e.g. daycare for children, home care for the elderly, financial & other aid to those in need)
• local culture & heritage (e.g. libraries, museums, theatres, community centres, festivals, events)
• sport & recreation (sports grounds, swimming pools, gyms, supporting local clubs & associations)
• the environment (natural environment, public parks & gardens, maintaining local roads, regulating advertising)
• safety & public order (by-laws, public behaviour, municipal police, public health)
• water supply, sewerage, waste, recycling (though those may soon be moved up the chain)
• organising & running elections
• any and all other matters of local interest (unless the powers are allocated to another body)

 

But im in the uk.

[saveasteading]

8 hours ago, Roger440 said:

Parish councils are mostly pointless talking shops with little power

Not so. If well run they can be efficient and their decisions can be very positive.

If badly run then you are right.

If controlled by persons with personal interests then they can do harm.. which is why new councillors are needed.

[SteamyTea]

2 hours ago, saveasteading said:

If controlled by persons with personal interests then they can do harm..

Which should also include persons that think they know better.

I think it is like driving. We have rules and laws, and experience teaches us behaviour, then you get the twats that think they know better and cause mayhem all over the place. They often only do such minor damage that it is not, in their eyes a problem, occasionally though, it has long lasting effects.

[scottishjohn]

On 18/08/2026 at 09:38, SteamyTea said:

There is a saying that 'bad things happen when good people do nothing'.

You are doing nothing, but feel entitled to criticise. To me there is a disjoint in thinking there.

this is exactly what you and bebub are doing --just making pointless and demeaning  posts  at everyone  every one 

 

 last time I post   on anything but build topics to get abused by the likes of you  who obviously get some sort of perverted feeling of superiority from it 

 

 

[Beelbeebub]

Maybe let's get back to the subject of UK oil and gas reserves relative to consumption and leave discussions of local recycling politics behind us.