Nanny Knows Best

Nanny Knows Best
Dedicated to exposing, and resisting, the all pervasive nanny state that is corroding the way of life and the freedom of the people of Britain.

Wednesday, August 08, 2007

Nanny Bans Donkey Derby

Nanny Bans Donkey Derby
Oh dear, another summer treat for the kids has been kybosched (spelling???) by Nanny.

That ancient seaside/rural summer ritual of the donkey derby has been banned by Nanny's minions in Llandudno.

The donkeys were due to be ridden by around 40 children the other week at a series of races organised by Llandudno Rugby Club, a regular event in Llandudno.

Well, it was regular until Nanny stuck her size tens into the matter. The donkeys were replaced by blow-up sheep and a toy monkey...yes, you did read that correctly!

For why?

Our good old chums related to the health and safety Gestapo felt that the event was just too dangerous.

I would observe that it is the same type of people from the health and safety Gestapo that accredited a certain animal vaccine lab in the South of England with a safety certificate...this would be the same lab that is now suspected of leaking the foot and mouth disease...oh, and it is the same lab that is now being paid by Nanny to produce the vaccine to cure the disease...lucky it has a certificate then, otherwise we would all be in a right old pickle!

Anyhoo, I digress.

The harmless 30 second races, organised by Llandudno Rugby Club, have taken place in North Wales for the last 39 years without nay serious incident. Unfortunately, Nanny's ultra caution now means that the event has to be covered by public liability insurance.

Have you noticed how, when a local authority wants to ban something, it simply trots out the tired old mantra of "public liability insurance"?

This has become the catch all excuse for banning all manner of events and activities.

Funny that isn't it?

Anyone suspect that this excuse is in fact a load of old bollocks, dreamt up by our useless and interfering local councils to stop us living our lives in the way that we want to?

Has anyone actually bothered to take the insurance companies to task, and get them to explain clearly how they come up with their often ludicrous quotes for insurance relating to public events...it usually revolves around the sum of £5M.

The councils, had they a mind too, have the time and the "skills" (I never thought that I would use that word in relation to a council) to do just that. Yet they don't...why is that then?

Robin Holden, the rugby club chairman, said:

"We asked insurers if they could give us cover

for kids racing on donkeys – but they wouldn't touch it
."

Tossers!

Seemingly the insurance company excuse is that if a kid falls off the donkey, his/her parents would sue.

Brian Bertola, who helps organise the donkey derby, said:

"The donkeys are used to having children on them,

the speed is negligible,

the kids wear helmets and it's over a short distance.

It's crazy
."

We as a society do have ourselves to blame here:

1 We allow insurance companies to screw us royally

2 We sue for the slightest little thing at the drop of a hat

3 We allow local councils to lord it over us.

Although it seems, on the face of it, the local council were not directly involved with this; I can't but help feel had they been a bit more "helpful" (eg ask the insurance companies some pointed questions) a solution could have been found.

11 comments:

  1. Anonymous12:23 PM

    Any legal types out there explain why getting the parents to sign a simple waiver wouldn't stop all this fuss and nonsense?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous3:15 PM

    chris said, "...sign a simple waiver..."
    The trouble is that there are gangs of smart-arsed lawyers out there who, in the event of any 'incident', would jump at the opportunity to claim that the parents were coerced - and sue everybody in sight.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous3:18 PM

    A far better idea would be to have the kids take up an Outward Bound sort of fun-course.
    That way..the donkeys would not be used and abused.
    I don't give a damn about kids, I do object to animals being used for their enjoyment.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous3:21 PM

    Maybe the local 'Councils' could give up some of their ill-used time and give the damn kids rides on their backs.they spend a lifetime riding on the backs of others....just a thought.
    Now then I would hope to see whips and spurs provided.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous4:21 PM

    lavenderblue said...

    "I don't give a damn about kids, I do object to animals being used for their enjoyment."

    Good point.

    That would make the donkeys somewhat redundant of course.

    I could see the council's minions finding ways of forcibly passing them on to the glue factory as part of their carbon hoofprint reduction programme.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anonymous4:36 PM

    But,Grant
    Where would Christmas and Away in the Fking Manger be without a Donkey !
    Agree with you re what the 'Councils' might do......there are of course Sanctuaries for Donkeys.
    Oh, no, please - a retirement pleasure home for abused councillors ?
    Well, Ok then..as long as we can abuse them first....heheheh

    ReplyDelete
  7. Anonymous6:59 PM

    Should the council be supplying children with blow-up sheep??

    ReplyDelete
  8. Anonymous9:19 PM

    lavenderblue said...

    "Where would Christmas and Away in the Fking Manger be without a Donkey !"


    and then

    Anonymous said...

    "Should the council be supplying children with blow-up sheep??"


    Which led me to the conclusion that the council could provide a blow up ass for the Nativity Play - if such things have not already been banned across most of the country for fear of upsetting those with otherwise oriented religious beliefs.

    Come to think of it lavenderblue's suggestion about retirement sanctuaries for councillors (they could use the facilities the donkeys have at the moment - it would not be long before they became available) points to a solution to both problems. After all, why provide a inflated ass when there are live ones available at the council?

    ReplyDelete
  9. Anyone ever tried to claim under one of these policies?
    More chance of getting a feel of Ruth Kelly's Cillice

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anonymous11:09 AM

    merkin said,
    "anyone ever tried to claim under one of these policies?"
    I think ther's a misunderstanding here, the policies don't actually exist, they're like the old bogey man, just used to frighten people and stop them doing something that officialdom disapproves of.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Anonymous12:12 PM

    Chris said...
    Any legal types out there explain why getting the parents to sign a simple waiver wouldn't stop all this fuss and nonsense?

    legal waivers dont work for other people. the parents cannoty sign away the rights of their children and it is legally possible for the children involved in an incident to wait untill they are of legal age before they sue... which is fking ridiculous.

    in relation to nativity plays i think u will find that someforward thinking local authorities have already banned animals from their scenes for reasons of... wait for it... public liability! apparently a vicious sheep bite going septic could bring down the whole of the western world.

    anyone else fancy emigrating?

    ReplyDelete