Peter Fahrenholz in praise of bureaucracy

Politicians like to cast themselves in the role of de-bureaucratisers in the hope that this will win them votes, writes political journalist Peter Fahrenholz with reference to Brussels' bid to cut down on red tape. "Only a regulated, controlled, legally-bound administration, or in other words a functioning bureaucracy, was able to put an end to the despotic rule of those in power to which pre-democratic societies were subjected. Only a system based on rational, generally-applied rules and regulations can prevent the preferential treatment or discrimination of individuals and thus create a kind of umbrella justice. ... The discussion about bureaucracy is dominated by popular prejudice. One of the most common clichés is the idea that you only need to reduce the number of regulations for everything to improve. ... It's much more important to concentrate on reforming the spirit of bureaucracy. The State has changed and therefore its functionaries must also adopt new ways. The goal should be to turn bureaucracy into a service at the citizens' disposition rather than an act of sovereignty."

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