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Article: Bad language; Red tape.(A watchdog barks about red tape)
- Article from:
- The Economist (US)
- Article date:
- October 23, 2004
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2004 Economist Newspaper Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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It's not power-mad governments so much as badly-drafted rules that tie people up in red tape
WHY do worthy reforms end up as pointless or counterproductive rules? A new report by the Better Regulation Task Force, a government-sponsored watchdog, blames woolly language, which allows regulators to be overzealous and makes their victims timid.
Take the new Security Industry Authority (SIA), set up to license private detectives, bouncers and the like. They must now be trained and screened, to weed out criminals and cowboys. Fair enough. But this was not intended to cover stewards at sporting events like football matches. These are already thoroughly ...