Madam, – Farmers in Kerry were prevented from gritting the roads, for “health and safety, reasons”; a mother in Kilkenny was prevented from taking her child into a snow-covered park in Kilkenny, for “health and safety reasons”; our local church has been obliged to erect ugly, defacing signs declaring “steps ahead” – steps that have been there for 200 years, without mishap – so that no judge can force us to pay money to someone as a reward for not looking where they are going.
It’s high time “health and safety” was replaced by common sense, and was administered as such. – Yours, etc,