Local Councils, Local Government, Central Government... They're all S@#T!

Serious gripe time I'm afraid. How's this for a story...

My folks live in a street where there is very little available parking. They are lucky enough to have a driveway where they can house a couple, if not three cars, with a gate at the front, and a lowered curb. From time to time annoying
people park in front of the gates, so you can't get out (or in). Usually it's someone in the pub next door, so popping in there to get them to move isn't too much of an issue.

Anyway, a few weeks ago, at 7:30 on a sunday morning, for no apparent reason (certainly not requested by my parents) some workmen turned up and put a single yellow line accross the gateway. All a bit bemused by it, but weren't going to complain. It didn't actually stop people parking there, but no harm done...

A week later, at about 7:30 on a sunday morning, some workmen turned up and burnt the yellow line off the road surface. Again, rather bemused at the whole thing really. But hey, no harm done...

A week later, at - yep, you've guessed - about 7:30 on a sunday morning some workmen turned up and painted two large white lines, parallel to the curb, about a cars width apart, with a large white cross between the lines, thus marking off the spot as a parking place completely. Utter bemusement!! No idea why this keeps happening, but again not going to complain. Bit unsightly, but it actually has stopped people parking there.

So, the other day, my dad ventured outside to see a strange woman in an orange overcoat pacing around outside the gate. Dad approaches and asks if he can assist in any way. "Do you live 'ere" she says."Well yes" replies my dad. She continues to say that she is from the council, and apparently she's been looking for the white lines for months!!! (My dad did point out that they'd only put it there a week or so before, but this seemed to have no impact). It turns out that the lines (both yellow and white) were intended for the end of the lane the other side of the pub. All of 20 yards away!!

"Well, I better ring them up and get them to come and remove it" she says.
"There's really no need..." says my Dad, "... we don't mind it being there. Seems daft to pay to have it removed if it's not doing any harm"
"'Ave you paid for them?" she asks, "Well no, we never requested them. How much do they cost?", "£50" she says. "You wanna pay for it?". "Well, no, not really" says my Dad, "as I explained we didn't ask for them to be put there in the first place, so I don't want to pay for it".

"So I'll ring them up and tell them to come and remove them then, and I'll also book them in to come and put the lines in the right place aswell..."

Now, is it me, or is this woman, a complete f*@#ing twat?! Surely the cost of removing this thing it going to be greater than leaving it there? Of course Dad pointed this out, and that actually, as the council are paying for it, it's the tax payer who ultimately pays. She didn't give a flying wotsit of course, a) because she's too thick to know any different, and b) because she doesn't get paid to care that the general public (including her I hasten to add) will foot the bill for such utter incompetence and stupidity. It just makes me so bloody mad that these idiots are not only in a position to spend our money, but they rarely, if EVER make a good job of doing so! AND the bastards keep upping our sodding council tax year on year, above the rate of inflation, in order to pay for these monumentally dense decisions. BASTARDS!

I can't possibly put down the words as to how angry I am at this stupidity and incompetence, as no doubt I'd be stricken from ever using blogger again!! But needless to say I'm not a happy bunny. I'm disgusted with the current 'government' (that word is really not appropriate for them...), disgusted with the local 'government' (again, inappropriate) and utterly horrified with the local council (now that's an appropriate word, cos in my book it means a bunch of useless fatcats who sit around ensuring they get a decent pension).

Comments very very welcome! Please come and rant about similar stories. I'll not go into Oxford Council's decision to a) lay the same road in the city centre with paving not once but twice at the cost of millions, and b) pay £80,000 (yes, eighty thousand pounds) for 10 (count them, TEN) benches, each of which is uncomfortable and inappropriate to the city setting...

I could go on, but I won't, because this post is far too long already!!