I expect this kind of thing will be red meat to some people, and we can all agree that pointless bureaucracy is bad – particularly where stifling competition is

I expect this kind of thing will be red meat to some people, and we can all agree that pointless bureaucracy is bad – particularly where stifling competition is the goal. IMO the effort of any campaign versus bureaucracy is best spent on reducing the friction of governance, particularly for small entrepreneurs: digitalising processes, publishing clear guides, harmonising rules, establishing guaranteed response times, adding exemptions for small businesses etc. Too often there's a reflexive "bonfire of the red tape" view – in contrast, I'd say it's actually pretty good that restaurant businesses have to e.g. demonstrate that they meet hygiene standards, produce a fire safety plan etc. and we probably don't want to throw the baby out with the bathwater. For all its faults, look to the UK for a relatively balanced approach to regulation of this sort.