BINZ MEANZ FINES!

In today’s current climate (no pun intended), Government ministers, media and celebrities alike are keen for everyone to play their part in helping combat global warming and save the planet.

Noble sentiments indeed! But, as a growing number of individuals have found, there is a price for joining the band of environmentally-friendly citizens: namely, over-fill your bins, put the wrong items in the wrong bins or merely put them out a few hours too soon and you’ll be facing a fine.

There’s everything to be said for doing things correctly but penalising those who are making an effort, especially when even Gordon Brown’s staunchest supporters acknowledge we’re in the middle of a rather biting credit crunch, doesn’t go down terribly well with voters.

The Prime Minister might not be personally behind the campaign to target what some in central or local government might construe to be refuse rebels. However, as the most powerful man in the land, he’s the one who has to carry the can – and it doesn’t matter whether he tries to recycle it or not.

And this is just one aspect of micro-managing the country which could put paid to New Labour’s 11-year grip on power. Speed cameras and the seeming erosion by political correctness of the liberty of children to climb trees (for health and safety reasons) and the clinical need to correctly describe grossly overweight individuals as obese (so as not to hurt their feelings) are used by media as further examples of how petty bureaucracy impinges on our lives.

As individuals contemplate who will get their vote at the ballot box next time around, the feeling that Mr Brown is responsible for too much red tape is not going to do him or his party any good at all.

If he and his cabinet fail to adequately tackle the tide of nit-picking stories hitting the pages of the nation’s press over the traditional Summer silly season, he – and they – could end up getting binned themselves!