How a childish idea catches on

In a bureaucracy, few things are as persistent as bureaucracy. Now the flood of bureaucracy is to be de-bureaucratised with the help of bureaucratic de-bureaucratisation processes.

The idea came from an office administrator at the Ministry of Defence working from home. She was fed up with emails and her whinging three-year-old, who asked how much money mum got for each email. Bingo! What if administrative action was made subject to a fee?

Administration, staff work, rules of procedure? It is intended to ensure standardised, regulated action in the management of authorities. This can be arbitrarily complicated and terribly compartmentalised - broken down into processes. They are also called processes, who wants to proceed? In terms of content, decisions on matters of principle, draft legislation and the management of subordinate areas - why "organised"? - are brought about. Brought about, not made.