Bureaucrats: How to Annoy Them

Front cover of the Arrow paperback EDition from 1983

It is irresponsible, subversive and insidious to harass bureaucrats. And here's how to do it.

Bureaucrats: How to Annoy Them is a layman's guide, written by R. T. Fishall, and illustrated by William Rushton, designed to help the general public in their dealings with what Leonard McCoy once described as the "Bureaucratic Mentality".

Contents

Introduction: Or the Gas Bill Cometh

Mr Fishall describes the situations which inspired the book, including his correspondence with Mr K Whitmarsh from the Southern Gas Company, which led to Fishall coining the name Twitmarsh to describe bureacrats in general. Fishall also briefly touches on how bureaucrats operate.

Fundamental Laws

In this chapter, Mr Fishall lists 11 important rules for dealing with bureaucrats without breaking the law of the land - the majority dealing with written correspondence.

The Inland Revenue

Here Mr Fishall provides information for dealing with bureaucrats involved in the tax system.

A Note on Languages

This section details the use of different languages, especially obscure ones.

Official Jargon

A brief glossary of phrases found in correspondence from bureaucrats, including possible translations.

The Twit Percentage

An explanation of the possible level of Twitmarsh style individuals within an organisation, together with examples.

At Random

A brief study of points which do not readily fit into other chapters.

Writing to the Papers

Information on the effective use of correspondence to the mass media.

Epilogue

Index