Ripping up 'red tape' and regulations

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By Sarah Portlock BBC News, Warwickshire Baggy Saunders said the group would lobby Parliament

Form filling, giving out personal details, call centres, closed-circuit television - if any of these bug bears get your goat then you might want to join the FART Club.

The club (Fight Against Red Tape) has been started by a group of middle-Englanders, all claiming to be fed up to the back teeth with the trials and seemingly endless delays that go along with modern day living.

Club founder, Baggy Saunders, said he decided to start the website campaign as he had had enough of the "unnecessary" red tape everyone has in their lives.

"I understand that in a correct society we have to have a certain amount of red tape, such as for health and safety reasons," he said.

"But, for every rule and regulation there are probably ten ridiculous and useless laws we have to suffer." THE CLUB'S TOP FIVE HATES The growth of personal data collectionHealth and safety forms that are beyond reasonCCTV camerasSpeed camerasPostcode lotteries

He and his fellow members, currently about 50 of them, intend to lobby Parliament and the European Union about issues raised on the club's website, he added.

Fellow group member Selwyn Rowley said his particular grievance was call centres.

"I want to do something quickly but I seem to end up hanging around on a phone for a long time," he said.

"All I want for is for someone to pick up the phone at the other end."

He said interest in the group had been good so far.

As members promoted their launch in Stratford-upon-Avon, they were inundated with passers-by telling them about their red tape nightmares.

"There are a lot of websites campaigning about single issues, such as identity cards for example, but we want to pull all the complaints together," Mr Rowley said.

Wind of change

Also joining the group is Ross Clark - author of How to Label a Goat, a book about rules and regulations in Britain.

He said he warmly welcomed a group set up to battle against petty legislation.

"May the campaign create a strong wind that will blow through Whitehall and the nation's town halls," he said.

Mr Saunders said the aim of the website was to unite people who were tired of interference in their daily lives.

"Red tape did nothing to curb the excesses of the financial institutions but it is ruining the lives of ordinary people everywhere.

"Even our traditional refuge, the pub, is being driven out of business and you can't smoke a fag anywhere.

"It's time to make a stink."

The group is holding its launch night at the Armouries Museum in Stratford-upon-Avon on Saturday.