Sunday, April 16, 2006

The End of the British Paper-Boy/Girl is Nigh

Ellee Seymour's Saturdays will never be the same. Her local newsagent has stopped delivering newspapers. He says that new health & safety legislation means he cannot take the risk of employing kids to deliver them any longer. Ellee says: "Legislation demands that he is personally responsible for the safety of his delivery boys' bikes, he has to be satisfied their lights are in good working order and that their tyres are pumped sufficiently. He also has to ensure they wear safety helmets too, which teenagers would never be seen dead in.He has had enough of being told what to do and how to run his business after many successful years in the trade. Let alone follow nanny state rules. So from Monday, my papers will be left behind his counter for me to collect." So does anyone know which piece of Nanny State legislation is to blame? One side effect will of course me increased carbon emissions as the whole village takes to its cars to drive to the shop to collect their papers. I wonder if this regulation was subjected to an Environmental Impact Assessment? For the full story click HERE.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

So, consider the opposite - newsagent sends out biy to deliver papers in gloom knowing lights don't work and brakes are faulty. is that the Tory vision for the future? No wonder you lost three elections.

I suppose you'll be telling me that the kids sent up chineys entered into free contracts next.

Iain Dale said...

I assume you're the same anonymous prat who just posted on the council tax post. Talk about condemning yourself with your own words. Quite why I even let stupid anonymous comments like this through, let alone reply to them is beyond me. The joys of a bank holiday weekend...

Serf said...

Good point on the environmental impact. Nanny Staters always end up in conflict with each other, leading to every decreasing circles of loonyness

neil craig said...

Kids can't earn a bit of extra money & because of required searches for people working with kids, most of them can't find a scout group anymore. Oh yes, & councils won't let them play on the grass because there might by germs there & they can't call each other politically incorrect names.

On the other hand it does provide gainful employment.

Ellee Seymour said...

The ban started today and I do miss my one luxury, it was the only time of the day I felt pampered, that's because I'm a news junkie and am already suffering withdrawal symptoms. Isn't life tough?

Anonymous said...

In the dim and distant past, the paperboys had to supply their own bikes and were (presumably) responsible for their upkeep. Surely this type of thing is the parents' responsibility? Silly me, nothing is anyone's responsibility any more, is it.

And anonymoous, I guess you think this is a great outcome, do you? No papers delivered and no paper boys/girls earning money - everybody loses - isn't that grand.

Anonymous said...

Well, my own experience, backed by folklore, is that a paper round teaches kids about the relationship of work and reward. In my case I also learned the value of incentivisation and service when I got more Xmas boxes than the kid who seemed to enjoy shredding papers through letter boxes.

Naturally, the eu and this current government would do anything to kill off anything that taught kids such evil ideas.

RM

Anonymous said...

Working is a dangerous business under a socialist government.