1 post from 2007

How to Label a Goat: The Silly Rules and Regulations That Are Strangling Britain

Ross Clark

Anyone who has been on this planet for more than a few years eventually runs into (or steps into) paperwork required by our respective governments on both the local and national level.  We also learn during the process that the term ‘government efficiency’ is an oxymoron.  Author, Ross Clark, takes a sometimes humorous, sometimes appalling, look at government rules and regulations in Britain in his book How to Label a Goat.  He manages in twenty chapters of some 272 pages to cover some of the history of regulation in the world at large and to examine regulations and the required paperwork for everyone from the’ common man’ on the street to the small businessman and even large international corporations.  It seems that the only entity exempt from government regulations are the regulators themselves.  I enjoyed reading the book and found Mr. Clark’s writing style to be entertaining and engaging but I also had the feeling of fascination that grips some people at the scene of an accident; you don’t want to look but once you do you find you can’t look away.  I can really identify with many of the stories since my wife and I have been chasing the paperwork required for the process of adoption and it doesn’t matter how many forms you fill out it seems there are always more to come.  So, I can recommend How to Label a Goat for a fun read and as food for thought.  I hope lawmakers, regulators and bureaucrats of all types will read this book and correct the error of their ways.  However, I may be unduly optimistic in this regard.  ;~)