Compensation Culture Vultures

‘DID you have a nasty fall at work? Did you accidentally stab yourself in the eye with a fork in the work’s canteen? Did a nasty paper cut in the accounts department force your head to be amputated at the neck?

We’ve all heard them, those messages to the bed-bound and damaged that appear on day-time telly.

Wince as Clive falls off that ladder. Shudder as Joyce slips on a greasy floor. Worry no more as Ambulance Chasers Inc. fights your corner on a no win, no fee basis. Then sit back in traction and wait for the cash to come rolling in on a trolley with your lunch.

But it’s all set to end. The Mail says the Lord Chancellor is preparing new legislation that will curb the so-called compensation culture.

Lord Falconer, for it is he, says ambulance chasing is having a detrimental effect on the way we live our lives.

“People believe there are certain things you can’t do because you might be sued,” says he. “Public authorities don’t open spaces because they might be sued.” For shame. “People do not do school trips because they fear they might be sued.” Terrible.

“People don’t sign up to work for voluntary groups like the Boy Scouts and Girls Guides because they fear they might be sued.” Things must change.

“There is somebody who says you have to wear goggles to play conkers, and that is not encouraging conker playing.” And with the London Olympics only seven years away, that will never do.

Add to this those people who tell you not to smoke in a pub that serves food, what you should feed your children and how many bottles you can take into the shower, and you have a world gone mad…’

Posted: 4th, November 2005 | In: Tabloids Comment | TrackBack | Permalink