We’d all like to save money, make money, or have sufficient to live on comfortably. Amongst the many options available to us, one way to meaningful savings is having equipment, organisations and agencies fit for purpose – i.e. using them in the way intended for maximum efficiency, making sure they do their job. Regular review and maintenance contribute to smooth, useful operation.

Sometimes, though, over time, the purpose becomes clouded as new participants become involved forcing agendas in their own interest contrary to the original purpose. Many become disadvantaged, often at great cost. 

United Nations

The UN is a classic case of organisation no longer fit for purpose. Established in San Francisco on 26 June 1945 with 66 members, the organisation has grown to 193 today. The original charter to maintain peace, dignity and equality on a healthy planet has been amended three times in 1963, 1965 and 1973.

Well, the peace and dignity objectives have been lost as China has weaselled its way into a position of power and influence, now heading four of the 15 principle agencies; membership of the Human Rights Commission; as well as holding a veto vote on the UN Security Council.

Russia, also a permanent member of the Security Council, operates counter to the UN objectives by supporting and defending the rogue Syrian regime and invading Ukraine, Chechnya and Georgia.

The UN appears powerless or unwilling to expel or deter Russia or China. So many decisions have become politicised against the west, probably because the West cares about maintaining reasonable world order. Blatant examples, all requiring great bureaucracies, global travel and useless reports are:

• WHO’s reluctance to concede the pandemic originated in a Wuhan lab, causing millions of deaths worldwide, disrupting lives and economies, despite the basic principles of the right to health and well-being for all people, as outlined in the 1948 Constitution; adopted by the International Health Conference held in NY in 1946 and entered into force on 7 April 1948.
• Preponderance of the UN General Assembly to adopt resolutions against Israel, the only functioning democracy in the Middle East: 17 this year, compared with six for the rest of the world; law fare and war fare aimed directly at the right to existence of the Jewish state, indicating anti-Semitism that drove the Holocaust is alive and well at the UN;
• Distorted findings of the IPCC (International Panel on Climate Change) which consistently falsely condemns Australia for alleged mismanagement of the Great Barrier Reef; and
• Total indulgence in the Climate Catastrophe cult.

In so many ways the UN demonstrates it is no longer fit for purpose: inability or unwillingness to reign in, deter or expel rogue states such as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, China’s treatment of Uighurs, Syria’s attacks on its own people; while making regular, useless rebukes to compliant states like Australia and Israel who pay their way.

Expansive growth of the gravy train of unaccountable bureaucracies attached to the Assemblies, Councils, Secretariats, Courts and working groups merely lengthens the distance between purpose and effectiveness. Time to cancel subscription to start collaboration between democracies.

Their ABC and other media

Their ABC runs parallel with the UN in loss of purpose. Refunded in the Budget for another $4.5b over the next four years, the ABC is no longer fit for purpose. In defiance of its Charter to provide unbiased news service to all Australians , the ABC runs as a Green/Left sheltered workshop, with very little of interest to over 90% of the population, who no longer tune in. Time to sell the ABC off to the staff to indulge their interests at own cost. 

Similarly other media and social media have become partisan activists rather than their intended purpose as purveyors of news. Take the contemptuous treatment of Donald Trump for years over the false Russian collusion hoax that plagued his presidency, shielding the Biden laptop story from news until now, when the election is over and the Biden family corruption is being laid bare; and the cancelling of Trump from Twitter, Facebook and other social media, while the Mullahs of Iran and CCP are OK. People are waking up to the betrayal and exiting the media. Share prices are in decline.

Woke Corporations

Corporations these days are mostly owned by shareholders who expect management to maximise returns while responsibly complying with accepted community social standards. Management under capture of The Great Reset defer not to shareholder value, but preen amongst global elites indulging in useless virtue signalling on Climate Catastrophism, intersectionality on race, gender, political correctness, conspicuous compassion or political interest. Never mind facts!

Even as I write, Disney has expressed outrage at Florida’s Parental Rights in Education Bill which precludes Transgender sexual indoctrination of children Pre-K to Year 3 (4-8 year olds). Reasonable most people would think. Parents don’t want their children sexualised (groomed) at such an early age. Yet furore has been whipped up by LGBT Advocacy Groups dishonestly labelling it the Don’t Say Gay Bill.

Disney aims to overthrow the law introduced by a democratically elected government with which the vast majority of people agree. Greetings from “ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls” are being changed to “friends”. By seeking to avoid getting offside with the 1% of the population who may be Transgender, Disney chooses to offend the rest of the population, on the advice of the bright young things ensuring diversity from the HR department.

Necessity of including every kind of diversity in every production spoils story lines, diminishing both merit and popular appeal. People switch off.

A share price declining by 20% in the last year is likely to go lower as government representatives, fed up with Disney’s woke posturing, remove privileges like renewal of copyright on key Disney characters like Mickey Mouse and rights to self-government on their 25 hectare site in Florida. Go woke, go broke!

Disney Corporation has lost sight of the original purpose of its founder, Walt, who truly wanted to entertain his daughters.

A pox too, on all those woke corporations caught up in the Climate Catastrophe cult, who, like Disney, betray their real audience – their shareholders and general public – by refusing to finance and insure businesses that have serviced our prosperity and keep the country running. Those banks and insurance companies, no longer fit for purpose, lose out as projects seek funding elsewhere and self-insure.

Education

Despite the $billions invested in education, standards have continued to decline at a rapid pace, showing poor fit for purpose. Many things can be blamed for acceptance of 30-40% functional illiteracy: poor student discipline, scatter brains from too much screen time; inadequate teacher training and unsuitable curriculum.

Only now are meaningful changes being made to ensure students can write properly, write a sentence with correct spelling, grammar and punctuation as might reasonably be expected; and comprehend what has been written. The curriculum is being taken back to phonics and parents, dismayed by standards, are seeking tutoring to fill known gaps to make learning fit for purpose.

Health Bureaucracies

Growth of health bureaucracies now outstrips front-line health service provision, confounding delivery, incurring costs and delays. Just when technology should be increasing efficiency, an overload of bureaucrats creating make-work rules to justify existence clog the system, pressuring health professionals, extending waiting lists and ambulance ramping, defeating the purpose of the service.

Parenting

Expansion of the dominion of experts and extended education has clouded the parental role of ensuring their child moves from total dependence at birth to be capable and competent in making adult decisions by age 18 years in keeping with the civic expectations under law. In my book Becoming, this transition is spelled out in some detail.

For parents to be fit for purpose in educating their children, experiences need to be provided for the child to make decisions and accept responsibilities along the way in readiness for young adulthood.

Households

Most of us have little control beyond our own life and household. It may be timely to reflect on how well we use our own goods and equipment to ensure we get the best from them to ensure they are fit for purpose.