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Paper pushers building a house of cards.

AT my first job we had an elderly lady who worked really hard keeping what she called her records'. She demanded that she be given all paperwork that piled up on her desk in a very busy and important way.

When she retired I was given the job of taking the lot outside and burning it. I learned how paperwork can make someone look needed and valuable.

I remember when the production workers outnumbered the office staff because the clerks were not considered the wealth producers, just the facilitators. Boy, how things have changed. Now those who actually make things are few but those who keep themselves in seemingly important (but in many cases pointless) paperwork are growing in number.

The danger is that they are building a house of cards' that will just collapse when eventually challenged by someone with the courage to do so.

In the meantime, such people are constantly plaguing real workers with the latest forms that must be filled in by the nurses, police officers, doctors or other important workers before they can attend to their duties.

The paper pushers love finding excuses for arranging yet more meetings or training days because of the paperwork that is needed.

Of course commercial firms have to keep some control on these expenses but not so in the public sector where these pedantic anoraks' thrive, it seems, far away from the world of common sense.

The council is soon to change to a unitary authority giving a frightening opportunity for these people to get larger offices, new computers and more staff. They will of course need to monitor the change and create more paperwork.

It will be party time at the ratepayers' expense. They will then have even more power to torment the rest of us with their over-the-top rulings, even if they do try to justify the nonsense by saying it's to do with safety and the public good.

I live in Ludlow and what these unreal, un-named people have done to this lovely town is dreadful. They took a very good idea to improve parking and turned it into a nightmare. Just look at the street furniture put in at the Millennium Green and around the town with the often pointless road paintings. Now to accommodate some of these ugly signs at Linney they have built stand out kerbs that are just waiting to cause accidents.

If it became possible to remove so many of their pointless rules and interference from our lives then society would become a happier and a more profitable place.

Ian V Collett, Dinham, Ludlow.

Former RN personnel respond to appeal.

READERS of Letters to the Editor across the United Kingdom responded to my appeal for Royal Navy electricians to join their new association and they wrote in their hundreds. Well the proof that such an association was needed was endorsed on the sunny coast of Bournemouth where we held an inaugural meeting and reunion.

Those who didn't stay at the hotel but lived locally came in to swap yarns and reminiscences and Swing the Lamp' in general and packed into the inaugural meeting.

Many old ship friendships were renewed, one going back 51 years. What will the next reunion, planned for Llandudno and booking fast, bring?

This is a thank you from the Royal Naval Electrical Branch Association first to the newspapers who printed my letters and to say thank you to the readers who have ex-RN electricians in their families who live abroad and have informed them. We have members in the States, Canada, New Zealand, Australia and a bit closer, France.

If you, or a member of your family, served in the Royal Navy in the electrical department and would like to meet up with your old mess mates, send your name and address, service number (if you can remember it) and a couple of second class stamps to help association funds to Brian Joy, membership secretary, 237a Tithe Farm Court, Alexandra Avenue, South Harrow, Middx. HA2 9DN for details. (Please leave the self adhesive stamps on their backing paper). Or email navy.bj3@ntlworld.com Most important, what was your favourite ship and where you would like to be 'taken back to'?

Which ships are mentioned already? Here are a few, HM ships Ark Royal (old and new), Bacchante, Bermuda, Caprice, Dundas, Eagle, Gambia, Harrier, Kenya, Lincoln, Newfoundland, Protector, Ranpura, St Vincent, and Superb.

Mike Crowe, Heath Road, Sandown, Isle of Wight.

How good to read a tribute to Harry Smith.

AFTER our town council supplying us with all the negative issues about Ludlow and the self-important people who have moved into town and would like to change things that have been part of Ludlow's history for many years, it was very good to read the tribute to Harry Smith who was someone really worth writing about.

I personally had known Harry for nearly 50 years and during the last two years since we have been renovating the Cats' Protection League shop in Old Street, we have had a few words with Harry nearly every day. He was always interesting to talk to, Harry was a true gent, and will be much missed by many, many people around town.

Mike Morris, Steventon, Ludlow.

... and also a tribute to Dennis Crowther.

A TRIBUTE to Dennis Crowther. Dennis was an old school friend and some years ago, when I was doing concerts for charity, he was always there to help out.

I rang him and he always had the same answer, "find the transport and let me know the time". Never once did he fail to turn up and this was quite often every week.

I collected him myself for several years until ill health forced me to lose my licence but always some member of our team would collect him.

Whenever the concerts became a little below par, he would take over and liven things up. He will be sorely missed by myself and many others.

Geoff Unitt, Brook Road, Craven Arms.

5:22pm Friday 9th May 2008

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