OK, It's My Fault

A friend recently complained about the outrageous cost of moving a phone number to a new residence. I sympathised, explaining that it's all to do with a lack of competition in the telecommunications infrastructure, & how this leads to inefficiencies, or at least a lack of interest in improving the service. I went on to describe how it is fundamentally a federal government issue, & how regulation is probably the only way out of the monopolistic mess we're in - that we need a fundamental philosophical shift to invest in (or encourage investment in) infrastructure differently.

He asked me how my grand plans for fixing the problem were received by the powers that be. I thought about it - I had, in fact, made a complaint to the ombudsman as a direct result of a particularly bad experience moving house. That, however, doesn't change policies. I hadn't offered my suggestion to Telstra directly, or complained to my local MP in the hope of it becoming government policy because ...

The more I thought about it, under the insistent gaze of my interlocutor, the more confused I got. How on earth did you get a good idea - not just a complaint - before the eyes of decision makers? In the case of MPs, they are supposed to represent their electorates, so why wouldn't they be a valid repository of voters' suggestions? I suspect that my MP's policies are more representative of his party's than his voters'.

You don't have to be too cynical to be of the opinion that sending a suggestion to the CEO of Telstra is probably less useful than having a quiet beer with an acquaintance whose happiness state makes him more likely to agree with you. That's why it's preferable to float such brilliant ideas in alcohol first.

So I have come to the conclusion that everything is my fault. I have solutions to many of the problems we face in day to day life, but I haven't bothered to express them to the appropriate powers that be. Line up & take a pot-shot at me the next time you move house & get slugged with a service charge for your phone, gas, or electricity. I'm also responsible for your mobile drop-outs, broadband data costs, the price of petrol & milk, late trains, the poor bus service, overhead power lines, roadworks, stray cats, & that weird smell down at the park.

Until I get around to telling the people in charge about all my great ideas, you're all going to have to put up with the problems.