…Stringing interfering politicians up from the nearest lamp post and poking their nadgers with sharp sticks while they dance in mid air? Oh, no, not that. Something else entirely.
Our happiness – or lack thereof – is none of Cameron’s business. Certainly we don’t need to have our wallets arse raped to pay for a minister specifically to make me happy. Indeed, giving this waste of our money the sack would make me much happier with immediate effect.
Ultimately, this is the epitome of interfering, prodnosing nannying at its worst. The state has no business asking us such intrusive questions, let alone charging us for the privilege. And, worse…
And no one should be in any doubt about how seriously it was being taken in government – because “it comes from the prime minister”, who remains very passionate about it apparently. There is a small, but very senior, committee gently “nudging” the whole thing forward.
Ah, yeah, they are fond of nudging are the new conservatives – who, frankly look much like their opposition counterparts. I don’t want to be nudged anywhere. I don’t want my happiness measured and catalogued by the state. What I want is for the state to drastically reduce itself to the point where it can only do the bare minimum necessary to carry out those functions we need collectively without poking about in the rest of our lives, stealing our money to pay for fake charities and quangos and to spend money on the ONS asking us damn-fool questions about what makes us happy. Cameron and his merry men can only make me happy when they and all the other troughers on the green benches commit mass suicide after having slit the throats of all the third sector parasites. On that day, I will be delirious. Until that happy day, fuck off and mind your own business.
“…Stringing interfering politicians up from the nearest lamp post and poking their nadgers with sharp sticks while they dance in mid air?..”
Oh yes! Just the thought has me beaming and chortling…
If only… 😀
I used to get messages from the ONS about my Ltd company which still exists in the UK but is not trading, they would threaten me with a fine if I did not respond, each month I would send a survey answer into them. Basically turnover zero, turnover next month zero and expected turnover after that zero with the comment I am not in the UK. Never stopped them asking me or threatening me with a fine.
A similar experience here.
Closed a LTD company down in Sept 2010.
Companies House were informed but wanted £15 from a director to correct their records.
Told them there were no directors, no employees, cash, turnover, company.
A couple of letters later the penny dropped they were not going to get their £15.
It then took them eighteen months to use the London Gazette to strike the company off.
HMRC were also told that the company had ceased to exist but it took their computers almost two years to register this fact.
Government enemy of the people, enemy of progress, enemy of community. Sweep it all up and shove it on the fire. 😉
Is it just me, or does talk of “happiness ratings” or “happiness indices” or anything along those lines always have a horrible 1984-esque ring to it? (Monthly chocolate rations, anyone?)
Yes, I bet Cameron is keen on this idea, and who can blame him – manipulative chancer that he is, like all of them. After all, once an “official” happiness index is in place, it will, of course, be the perfect tool for “proving” how popular and successful all the Government’s policies are. You can just see it now, can’t you? “80% of the population feel happier after the recent tax increases,” “75% of people have said that the Government’s cuts to [insert vital service] have made them feel happier in their lives,” “Over half of all people surveyed by the ONS have said that their happiness rating is higher since this Government came to power than they were under the last one,” “The Government’s introduction of compulsory exercise classes have greatly increased the nation’s happiness levels,” etc etc etc, ad infinitum.. It could even be used in the other direction: “After a survey showed that 72% of people said they’d feel less happy if the country were to withdraw from the EU, the Government has decided to delay holding their promised referendum …” Oh, yes. Cameron will like it all right! Ditto, Miliband, Clegg and all rest of them.
Like all things, it’ll just become a tool which permits them to do exactly what they want.
The odd thing is that, leaving aside all these kinds of government antics that really piss me off, my happiness index is pretty high. I have my life pretty much sorted, a stable long term relationship, a stress free job, my hobbies and interests etc. So, overall I’m pretty happy. Of course, as mentioned in the OP, I would be even happier if the government would leave me alone to live my life as I see fit.
Likewise. I went through a really bad patch from 2010 – 2012. But since then, things have improved and I’m fairly happy with my lot. I deeply resent the state thinking that this is any of its business, though.
“I deeply resent the state”
There, that’s better.