Destructive bureaucracy and how to oppose it In my country researchers are overburdened with paperwork and are struggling with increasingly overwhelming bureaucracy while being underpaid. This all leaves them not much time for actual research and demotivates them. What is the best way to make impact against such trend? When I discussed such issues with my colleagues they all seemed depressed and pessimistic. They can't imagine any kind of protest and noone believes in succesfull lobbying since science isn't "politically attractive". All other social groups (from teachers to medical doctors and from miners to farmers) are able to protest. Why can't we?

If my question does not belong here, please just tell me where to seek for help.
This is a very old question. People in my country are also insane and love their bureaucracy. What I learned is that they are also deadly afraid their paperwork won't be done right. So, I started to get the people at the offices to do my paperwork for me. It is their job anyway. 

When I got first into my job, my first idea was to gather enough support from my colleagues to mount a strong protest. I heard, but I can't find a link, that Polish researchers got fired the staff of their state grant agency after complaining how those guys hinder them. It is not possible in my country, and it may not be possible in yours. So, in my experience, the best way is to totally neglect paperwork except for what is essential: travel-related and buying equipment for research. Then, your bureaucrats will come begging for signatures and you train them like that. If you get chewed on by your boss, you can just reply that you "forgot", you are "very sorry", etc. 

In any case, giving up the notion that you'll ever do competitive research in a system like that might help, but I didn't succeed at that myself.