avoid

Mindnumbing and Gutwrenching Stupidity

Building on the constant lies grows the authority to demand others conform, that the authoritarian may ask or subversivly imply 'it is the individual's best interest' is rarely so, as most of these officials are low ranking dumbners and are more akin to offal that official.

Today's example I received a letter, or more properly, mail, addressed to Mrs Joanne Race Roger Lovejoy. Whereas I could extract my name I wondered who Joanne was. Upon opening the envelope I found a single sheet, a form, apparently from HM Passport Office, headed 'What to do with a passport when the passport holder dies' .

OK! seemingly straight forward, but I note there was no envelope for return mail, however the text was questionable, given information I had gleemed from previous telephone conversations, so I called HMPO.

First there is an issue with the author of the automated selections, there isn't one for deaths and the closest I could find was option 1 > 5 > for lost and stolen, so this was to be my first complaint. I did not, but could, have anticipated the moron that would answer the phone, demanding my name with the usual 'I need your name or I can't accept a phone call from you. When I explained it wasn't a personal question at this point and that he had already answered the phone I tried to define the problem with the automated options, at which it seemed the telephonist hung up.

The second time I called I took the oportunity to complain about the automated system, the attitude of the previous telephonist and was able to query the form's content. There was only a request for my name to log the call so the the telephonist could make further investigations about the anomalies I had refered to, at which point I chose to end the call. I say anomalies but it is my experience that the inconsistencies I come across, especially with officials, is far from unusual and is in fact almost inevitable and subsequenlty I have a substantial anticipation of conflict when I receive mail and for that matter most other communications. This anticpation is well hidden by my keenest to control conversations.

The outcome of the second call was that a) I could notify via the online-form and b) I didn't have to return the passport and could dispose of it myself. Ah! I thought, I'm getting somewhere I comfortable to be, but the interbnet address was duff

Still I wander form the example. The form states that I cut off the corners of thre passport and send it with the completred for to HMPO. Simple enough but a phone call last week didn't quite fit in with the logic. The converstaipon I had was that I should send the passport with the form they would forward and they would cut the corners off to invalidate it clearly and that I would ahve the option of havinbg it returned to me.

I had already decided I didn'ty want the old passport and realised that if I said it was lost I wouldn't have to send it, which means that it is not nescesary to send it as instructed over the phone or by the form. Add to that therform indicates I can invalidte the passport by cutting the corners, I wanted to confirm that, which I did, over the phone.

But the webpage I was directed to didn't exist and after another call, where I aggresively managed to avoid the name giving, it looks like I will be returning the form, hmm! with or without the passport.

Maybe to find out more I will call again and give my name, but at least now I know what I'm talking about, or do I?

Later Ok! I did call again. I'd filled out the form but wasn't sure about the part where I'm asked what I want them to do with it once they receive it, destroy it or return it. I know it's all a bit dumb as the form says I can cancel it so why should I send it?

This fifth call today I give my name, not without a few choice words about thier stupidity, which carried on. I'm told to download a form for a lost or stolen passport as the telephonist doesn't know what form I could have been sent, the form number not being known to the person.

Anyway to cut a long story short it transpires that I can destroy the passport without informing them. So what a load of authoritarian shit I've had to swim throught to get to the other the side, of their world, which jusy happened to be the side I dwell upon. So there and back again whithout the benefit of a magic ring.

Oh well the passport will be a starter for the fire tomorrow along with the form and envelope. Goodbye authority and hello common sense. And yes the conversation, given my name, was recorded.

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