"Occam's razor, Ockham's razor, also known as the law of parsimony is the problem-solving principle that "entities should not be multiplied beyond necessity". It is generally understood in the sense that with competing theories or explanations, the simpler one, for example a model with fewer parameters, is to be preferred. The idea is frequently attributed to English Franciscan friar William of Ockham."
For those of us who don't know what parsimony means, here is the dictionary definition: "extreme unwillingness to spend money or use resources". I always think of Scrooge, a classic example of parsimony.
The theory of Occam's Razor is that the simplest idea is often the best. And I have to agree. I'm not sure how many of us know the definition of a Quango; it is a British derogatory term for an organisation that the government has devolved power, but it still has its fingers in the pie and it is generally well known that Quangos cost the British tax payer a lot of money. The British Government do seem to spend lots of money on the theory that they must have a committee to decide something which most people would be able to see with their eyes shut.
Let us consider a few examples of the government paying out lots of money for some things and yet others services get cut. The police, the NHS and the armed forces are prime examples of cuts that seem to have come back and bit them (I'm not going to mention where).
The police have seen more and more cutbacks and yet all criminality appears to be getting worse. The government expects the police to continue reducing the crime figures without thinking about how they are going to achieve it. I know that police officers can retire at fifty or after thirty years service and they get a fairly good pension. I understand that one wouldn't really want to be on the front line after thirty years but rather than having them retire (when the rest of us have to wait until 65+), couldn't they help take the load off by taking over some of the paperwork that most officers seem to complain about the most? Doesn't seem too much like rocket science to me, although I concede that I don't know what the paperwork actually is about, so it might not be that simple. However, to quote an example, a police officer retires at fifty, has a couple of weeks off and then returns to became a trainer when they could have stayed on and just gone into the other role. I understand that this example isn't unique to the police, but to me that is just wrong and I guess that certainly some want to stay on (and if I have to work more than thirty years to reach the state pension age, why can't the police?) Please don't misunderstand me here; I support the police but there isn't a lot of reasoning for retiring early). I know that Banks made people redundant and then re-employed them at a later date and it's a win win for the employee but not so good for the employer; I would also say that all workplaces are trying to make savings but, to just throw it out there, is it the consumer or the shareholders/people or the government that they are doing it for?
The NHS has had to make cutback after cutback and then the COVID pandemic hit and the NHS were (to coin a phrase) snookered. There wasn't enough beds, doctors, nurses or equipment to go round. I know what you are going to say - the government can't afford to have enough for a one off emergency situation, but really, they have cut back services so much that there have been long waits for treatment and staff shortages even pre pandemic.
In my opinion, both the police and the NHS have too may administrators and not enough people on the front lines.
Moving on, the armed forces have been diminished over time so there is very little left in terms of numbers and equipment - and what happens? Along comes the war in Ukraine and we are starting to feel a little jittery.
We cannot cut services to the police, NHS and the armed forces merely because we are trying to balance the books. The Government robs Peter to pay Paul and maybe it's time to think about how it can do better. Honestly, if I knew the answer to that I would probably be very rich. But what can be done?
The Government cannot rely on the goodwill of the employees when time and time again they have been denied a decent pay rise, expected to work under intense conditions and then expected to be okay about it because they are in a job that requires a person who wants to help others.
If Occam's Razor theory exists, then surely we can come up with ways to reduce admin (in terms of staff and the paperwork) in both the police and NHS and thus save money for more useful purposes, and to accept that we do need armed forces that are enough to repel any invaders to these hallowed shores and beyond (maybe they are thinking of resurrecting the Home Guard should that day ever become a reality). Maybe we can think outside the box and think of ways of getting suspected criminals in front of a court sooner and punishing them with something that is appropriate for the alleged offence and hurts (figuratively speaking) the offender. I read somewhere that if the police caught more criminals, the CPS and courts/gaols wouldn't be able to cope. If that is the case then more realistic proposals need to be forthcoming.
Sometimes the main reason for things not working to the best of its ability is that good old common sense seems to have disappeared from most people in power. Trying to get Ukrainian refugees into this country is an ordeal for even those who know how to fill out the forms and is a classic example of the idiocy and bureaucracy of this government (not that it would be any different if another party was in power) when a couple of pages of simple questions would get them into the country and allow the goodness of others to help heal broken hearts, minds and bodies. I think the trouble lies in that most in administration i.e. those that actually make the policies and rules, cannot see outside the box and say things can only be done one way. There is always another way if one is prepared to look for it. And often that way is better, cheaper and performs just as well.
A little disjointed as per the usual with me as I write as I think which is probably not the best way to do it.
I'm happy for you to comment, but please be kind as my ego is easily shattered by harsh words.
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