Common Sense

I remember growing up in Greece, my late dad’s frustration with the bureaucratic system that paralysed your every move as a citizen and appeared to have no logic whatsoever to anyone with a hint of a brain. He kept explaining how in progressive countries like the UK, the system was anticipated to have flaws and your input as a citizen was welcomed, forming the core of the common-sense idea. Coming to the UK in 1999, I was shocked to realise that my dad’s perception, even though solely based on articles he has been reading, was surprisingly accurate. When speaking on the phone to any public service, my voice was heard, and the rules were ever so slightly adjusted to fit my specific circumstances. People on the other end were actively listening and there was a sublime sense of satisfaction when logic eventually prevailed.

This must sound like science fiction to anyone reading this essay now, and it is quite shocking to realise how far things have moved in the wrong direction. The system in Greece, famous for being a sloth of a beast, has barely changed but despite that they are now the ones that make sense, proving how extraordinarily bad the UK public system has become. Speaking on the phone to a real human is first of all a rare luxury and if, you are stubborn enough to pursue it, you often end up having a bizarre out of body experience where both parties agree that what is being discussed is completely absurd, but there is nothing anyone can do about it. The rules, idiotic as they now are, have become Moses’ modern-day commandments, carved in stone in secret by an unknown force that we should all obey and never question. The lack of flexibility suggests all of us humans are one size fits all, with no particularities, idiosyncrasies and individuality. It also suggests that keeping the rules rigid is more profitable, as the system eliminates people with circumstances that should exclude them from the rules. Having a person answer the phone is in place to create a false sense of hope that your voice will be heard, when in reality those people are just there to reiterate how you cannot be different in a system designed for a generic nation.

An example would be my latest frustration with the monetisation of the environmental crisis by the London councils. I own a car that has been deemed to emit so little that the road tax is a minimal £20 per year, with only electric vehicles paying less. This amount is deemed sufficient to cover my environmental emissions when the car is moving and therefore producing harmful substances. The same car is deemed by Hackney Council to be in the list of the top polluters in terms of its yearly parking fees, placing it in the region of nearly £500 per year. This means that the car, when stationery, with its engine switched off, is presumed to emit enough fumes to justify a 25 times higher charge than when it is moving. Mind blowing stuff from the rule makers. As if the word space in “parking space” is not enough of a clue to explain how charges should be calculated when parking your car. As a result, a 10m tow truck that parks in front of my house taking up 2 parking spaces is paying less in parking fees than my 4m car. What of course ends up happening since I refuse to pay an extortionate amount to park my car under these idiotic rules, I move my car a lot every day, which I am certain produces more emissions than keeping it in front of my house while using my lovely bicycle.

Treating your citizens with respect, investing in people to communicate with them and understand their individual needs is nowadays seen as a waste of public money. The current system has invested in squeezing every penny possible out of the normal, hardworking people and so far, it seems to be working – but is it sustainable in the long run? When the frustration builds up to the point that nobody respects the governing bodies and cheating the system gives you immense pleasure, then the UK will find itself in Greece’s position. History has also proved that to be in that position is almost irreversible, since trust is notoriously difficult to restore and people either flee the country or they get inventive, constantly discovering new ways to avoid paying their unfair taxes no matter how many hurdles you place in front of them. Isn’t it just easier to revert back to the common-sense era of UK world fame, keeping citizens heard and happy and preventing this new brain drain that has been gradually brewing? Or is common sense another villain the government had to get rid of as part of the Brexit exodus?

Author: Atticus Finch (2025)