Friday, January 06, 2006

On lighting fires

One the above subject, I recently heard a story typifying this country's slow suffocation under the ever increasing weight of red tape.

It appears that a local lawnmower/gardener type person wanted to have a small bonfire, to burn off a pile of trimmings from some trees he had been working on. Being a community-minded type of chap, he applied for the appropriate permit and received it.

On the due day, with the weather right and the wing low, he set fire to the pile. Shortly after, the fire brigade arrived and put it out. Somebody had complained about the fire.

'No problem', said the firemen, when the permit was produced- 'you can light it again as soon as we leave, but if we are called out again, we have to come and put it out. You can keep doing that as often as you like, as you have done the right thing and obtained a permit- because you have done that, there will be no charge.'

And to think we make jokes about the Irish...

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