Were they distracted by fireworks, for instance? Because, clearly, if a few rockets go off and you take your eyes off the road, or if smoke obscures your vision and you carry on at 70mph, it's not your fault, is it?
Richard notes that the usual suspects are getting their oar in before the bodies are even cold (or indeed all found). And over at Inspector Gadget's, the Self Pity Party is in full swing ahead of any actual need for this:
Is anyone else watching the horrific events on the M5 and wondering at which point the blame will be placed upon a public sector worker somewhere?Even a few of the regular commenters think this is in poor taste, and point out the utter lack - so far - of any blame being laid at the door of the police.
It will probably be the police, but it may be another agency...It’s early days I know. The BBC usually start to blame the police within 24 hours of an incident, any incident, followed by Sky and the newsprint media. I thought I would get in first.
The road surface wasn’t good enough, the matrix wasn’t switched on, police took too long to arrive, whatever it is, anything and anyone with a public sector pension or budget will be to blame.
What seems to have sparked it off (the whinge, that is, not the M5 crash) is the 'unfair critiscism' of the UKBA:
The latest example of this blame culture is the hapless UK Border Force (never actually heard of them) having suffered 10% cuts in staff with another 20% to come and all the attendant budget restrictions, being blamed for cutting corners at the point of entry.Sadly for Gadget, with that impeccable timing that has been demonstrated before, it now transpires that, while they were waving through people with no passport checks due to this supposed lack of staff, they had enough staff to conduct ILLEGAL checks on passengers on buses in-country!
Which is it, Gadget? ‘Terrible Tory cutbacks’ or sheer, utter incompetence and lack of understanding of the very rules under which they operate?
But hey, they are public sector staff, after all. And therefore should be above any criticism, right?
20 comments:
"But hey, they are public sector staff, after all. And therefore should be above any criticism, right?"
The insidious demise of many public services went unnoticed and thus there were no formal obsequies. What remains are self serving husks, occupied by squatters at unofficial wakes. They squeal and hurl abuse at any attempt to spring clean and move on.
Must say, I thought Gadget was somewhat OTT!
Ever since the price of fuel made my eyes water I have refused to allow my car to exceed +/- 1500 rpm. This means that on the odd occasions I use a motorway and bimble along the inside lane I have a succession of huge trucks climbing all over my rear end - if you'll excuse the expression! Each time that happens I simply lift off and allow the car to gradually slow down so that either the monster overtakes or at least we will be going so slowly that in an emergency we will both (I hope) have time to brake to a halt.
The other advantage to my new driving habit is that it has solved the Xmas gift problem for my friends and family. I have let it be known that I would like a tweed cloth cap, those driving gloves with a sort of leather lattice-work on the back and a pipe. Thus, I will not only drive like the maddening old prats I used to shake my fist at when I was a boy racer but I will actually look the part!
As we say in (amateur) theatre, authenticity is everything, darling!
Ah, you miss the reason for apportioning blame to someone in the public sector.
It's the com-pen-say-shun factor.
Blame a large or medium-sized private company and any claim for com-pen-say-shun will be met with the appopriate lawyers defending to the hilt as the company has more to lose than just money - increased regulation from the Government and loss of brand leadership and therefore revenue and therefore a drop in share prices etc.
Blame apportioned to smaller companies will only have limited results as there are limited funds (unless overly-insured).
A claim for com-pen-say-shun from the Government or other public sector body will be met with, well erm, a fortune from the bottonless pit of tax payers money.
It's like a lottery win. No contest.
A harpie from some nannyist organisation (safespeedsonmotorwaysfrightenme.org or similar) was wheeled into R4 news late last night to opine that this is precisely why the speed limit shouldn't be increased to 80mph.
The point that this was the maximum rather than the minimum or compulsory speed eluded her.
Never miss a chance, do they.
As a long time reader and formerly regular comments contributor I too feel that Gadgets post using this report was sad and a good indication of how the blog is starting to go downhill.
I initially felt a bit uncomfortable reading IG's posting on that subject matter but let's wait and see what happens.
I can imagine MTG waiting with bated breath and salivating over the publishing of this criticism of IG.
"Banned from most police blogs" for good reason....
Jaded
"While they were waving through people with no passport checks due to this supposed lack of staff, they had enough staff to conduct ILLEGAL checks on passengers on buses"
And they always seem to have enough staff to stop Smoking Hot and his buddies...
Regarding the UKBA swooping on bus passengers-I don't understand your point.Do you think once they have sneaked in then they shouldn't be hunted?
When I worked in Central London we used to help immigration officers who would come out in the early hours and check people by bus stops.The average person then at 5am was a cleaner going into work,very good chance of catching an illegal.
Jaded
Good evening, Jaded
"I initially felt a bit uncomfortable reading IG's posting on that subject matter..."
Indeed, a very distressing and morbid topic. I am no medic but I have it on good authority that regular transfusions of embalming fluid can offer relief.
When I worked in Central London we used to help immigration officers who would come out in the early hours and check people by bus stops
I may be wrong here but I thought that the point was that UKBA people were acting without a police presence: UKBA are not empowered to "stop" whereas the police are.
So I think in the situation you describe, your presence was necessary for the UKBA to proceed
and yours would have been the first intervention with the suspect and the first "hand on his collar".
MTG...formal obsequies
Lux perpetua luceat eum
embalming fluid
Ab auditione mala non timebit
You could catch a bus at 5AM?
I didn't realise that Gadget's posts were supposed to be read. I thought that they existed solely as an opportunity for readers to compete to post the first comment. Evidently this is tremendously exciting, great kudos attaches to the winner, and it provides hours of entertainment for those who find Deal or No Deal too intellectually challenging.
" Each time that happens I simply lift off and allow the car to gradually slow down so that either the monster overtakes or at least we will be going so slowly that in an emergency we will both (I hope) have time to brake to a halt."
And you have to hope they are awake/not drunk or drugged/not foreign!
"It's the com-pen-say-shun factor."
Sadly I suspect you're right..
"And they always seem to have enough staff to stop Smoking Hot and his buddies..."
Oh, yes! :/
"Regarding the UKBA swooping on bus passengers-I don't understand your point.Do you think once they have sneaked in then they shouldn't be hunted?"
No, I think they should be hunted legally and within the restrictions laid on the service. I don't fancy having to identify myself on public transport. Do you?
Just curious, but if Gadget proves to be right, will you retract this article?
"Just curious, but if Gadget proves to be right, will you retract this article?"
Whatever she decides to do, I doubt Julia will stoop to the Gadget method. You know, changing/deleting parts of the original post and altering comments to suit new circumstances.
I copy Latin but if I had real knowledge of it, I would drain the cheeks of Plautus with my own compositions.
I'm never too late in a thread to indulge in a quick tug of intellectual onanism.
Be fair, Madame. I had that one tossed at me last week...just for admiring Wagner.
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