heads of both environment and HMRC both resign smameron losing grip

[crookie]

Quite honestly all these 3 stories show what a mess our politics is in. HMRC is a shambles, yet the head gets made a Dame, despite a damning select committee report. Cronyism of the worse order. The Chairman of the Environment Agency is on holiday, when dreadful flooding hits. Whether or not he would have made any difference if he was here is not the point. His employees, the emergency services, the military were all giving up their time to help, the least he could have done is to show willing. Added to that, £100000 for a PT 3 day a week role, so Pro-rata £166666 per annum approx. More than the PM. How is it that heads of Quangos and senior public figures earn such grotesque salaries from the public purse.

As for Labour, far too much navel gazing. this country needs an effective functioning opposition, and whatever people may think about the Tax Credit U-Turn, and police funding U-Turn, Labour are not providing it. This so-called 'New type of Politics' sounds very worthy, but doesn't make for effective opposition. The Government is a sitting-duck in many areas, but Labour are about effective as our current strike force at hitting the back of the net. Corbyn and McDonnell have too much baggage that is deeply unattractive to many people, especially their support for the IRA and Hamas, and the obsession with unilateral disarmament, which doesn't play well with a lot of people, especially with the bonkers Kim Jong Un going for an H Bomb.

I have little faith in this current crop of professional politicians to be a force for good these days

 

[Bold Seagull]

edit - excellent, noted back on track above before I posted this!!

Can we keep this on two important positions that have been failed governance - The Environment Agency, and HMRC.

Both have received honours from this government, a knighthood and a damehood.

In the case of Dame Lin Homer, not only did she fail at HMRC, she failed at the Border Agency before that. Surely questions have to be asked about the decisions being made for these appointments? The Home Affairs Select Committee said it was "astounded" she had been promoted to the HMRC role given her performance at the Border Agency.

These are critically important roles, well remunerated with real impact on peoples lives. These are clearly mistakes in appointment, and surely need scrutiny with how these appointments are being made.

 

[Bold Seagull]

I had no recollection of the cabinet reshuffle thread. I have not contributed to it and I had not opened it. It's on page 2 currently.

I remember vividly the EA thread because I was quite involved in it.

There is nothing more to it than that.

Tea was good.

Fair enough. Not had mine yet as work to catch up on...[because of NSC!...ha ha]

 

[crookie]

Can we keep this on two important positions that have been failed governance - The Environment Agency, and HMRC.

Both have received honours from this government, a knighthood and a damehood.

In the case of Dame Lin Homer, not only did she fail at HMRC, she failed at the Border Agency before that. Surely questions have to be asked about the decisions being made for these appointments? The Home Affairs Select Committee said it was "astounded" she had been promoted to the HMRC role given her performance at the Border Agency.

These are critically important roles, well remunerated with real impact on peoples lives. These are clearly mistakes in appointment, and surely need scrutiny with how these appointments are being made.

Jobs for the boys isn't it, these people go round the circuit, from one failure to the next. My OH works in housing at Romford, the Head of Childrens Services and Child protection is none other than Sharon Shoesmith who was in the same position in Haringay and so presided over the Baby P scandal

 

[Ernest]

I always think these jobs are like football managers, f**k up at one team get the sack and then go elsewhere to another team and do the same

 

[crookie]

I always think these jobs are like football managers, f**k up at one team get the sack and then go elsewhere to another team and do the same

Yep, with a nice pay-off for utter failure, nice work if you can get it !!

 

[maltaseagull]

Labour party's economic advisors:

Mariana Mazzucato, Professor, University of Sussex
Joseph Stiglitz, Professor, Columbia University, recipient of the 2001 Nobel Memorial Prize in economics.
Thomas Piketty, Professor, Paris School of Economics
Anastasia Nesvetailova, Professor, City University London
Danny Blanchflower, Bruce V, Rauner Professor of Economics Dartmouth and Stirling, Ex-member of the MPC
Ann Pettiffor, Director of Policy Research in Macroeconomics (PRIME), and an Honorary Research Fellow at the Political Economy Research Centre of City University
Simon Wren-Lewis, Professor of Economic Policy, Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford.

Clearly no less about economics than a towel folder for Harrods

You were doing so well before that spelling mistake. Then you lost me.
Two other economics questions:
Why do they need so many advisors?
Who is paying for them?

 

[Leekbrookgull]

edit - excellent, noted back on track above before I posted this!!

Can we keep this on two important positions that have been failed governance - The Environment Agency, and HMRC.

Both have received honours from this government, a knighthood and a damehood.

In the case of Dame Lin Homer, not only did she fail at HMRC, she failed at the Border Agency before that. Surely questions have to be asked about the decisions being made for these appointments? The Home Affairs Select Committee said it was "astounded" she had been promoted to the HMRC role given her performance at the Border Agency.

These are critically important roles, well remunerated with real impact on peoples lives. These are clearly mistakes in appointment, and surely need scrutiny with how these appointments are being made.

Don't fret although i agree with your comments the pair of them will turn up in Public Service again.

 

[Bold Seagull]

You were doing so well before that spelling mistake. Then you lost me.
Two other economics questions:
Why do they need so many advisors?
Who is paying for them?

Do any of them have experience running an Environment Agency or a Tax collection department? There are jobs going!!

 

[glasfryn]

Oh, all those new members who form an extreme minority of the voting public ? There are probably more ISIS sympathisers in the UK than there are Labour Party members
t

more people have joined the Labour party since Corbyn than belong to the tory party, so how minor are the tory party then?
labour party 370k members and counting
lets hope your last very stupid comment is not right otherwise we are all doomed

 

[The Antikythera Mechanism]

more people have joined the Labour party since Corbyn than belong to the tory party, so how minor are the tory party then?
labour party 370k members and counting
lets hope your last very stupid comment is not right otherwise we are all doomed

To put things in perspective, there are 46,139,000 voters in the UK, so the Labour Party membership represents 0.8% of the electorate. You don't have to be a party member to vote.

 

[glasfryn]

To put things in perspective, there are 46,139,000 voters in the UK, so the Labour Party membership represents 0.8% of the electorate. You don't have to be a party member to vote.

and the tories are ruling with 1 third of the electorate vote.
the Labour party has had the bigest surge of memebers since the 50's even more than the new Labour years

 

[JC Footy Genius]

I always think these jobs are like football managers, f**k up at one team get the sack and then go elsewhere to another team and do the same

For some reason that reminds me of Tony Blair getting the Job as Middle East Peace Envoy after he left office.

On the substantive issues on this thread I agree it's a National disgrace how incompetence or underachievement is no bar to career progression at a certain level in this country.

 

[Bold Seagull]

To put things in perspective, there are 46,139,000 voters in the UK, so the Labour Party membership represents 0.8% of the electorate. You don't have to be a party member to vote.

Only 30,691,680 voted though, and only 11,299,959 voted for the government. By your figure, only 24.5% of the potential voters in the uk voted for the government.

 

[The Antikythera Mechanism]

Only 30,691,680 voted though, and only 11,299,959 voted for the government. By your figure, only 24.5% of the potential voters in the uk voted for the government.

I wasn't making a political statement, just pointing out that party membership is irrelevant to the voting process.

 

[JC Footy Genius]

more people have joined the Labour party since Corbyn than belong to the tory party, so how minor are the tory party then?
labour party 370k members and counting
lets hope your last very stupid comment is not right otherwise we are all doomed

Muslim leaders have responded to the Mirror's disturbing poll showing that 1.5 million Brits identified as supporters of the brutal so-called Islamic State.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/muslim-leader-isis-supporting-brits-disenfranchised-6018357

Looks like we're doomed then but the Mirror couldn't bring itself to identify the real cause ... support for ISIS is apparently blamed on the Tories if this wasn't a life and death matter it would be hilarious.

 

[Freddie Goodwin.]

It was no surprise that 'Dame Disaster' would go once she had her payoff/honour. Apparently she has (single handidly?) improved HMRC's performance & reputation and call waiting times are just 6 mins, don't cha know.

You get through & they tell you to write in, but they can't deal with the post because they are all taking the calls!

 

[Bozza]

Only 30,691,680 voted though, and only 11,299,959 voted for the government. By your figure, only 24.5% of the potential voters in the uk voted for the government.

It's a brave man from the left who tries to make a stand relating to voting numbers from the last General Election.

 

[JC Footy Genius]

It's a brave man from the left who tries to make a stand relating to voting numbers from the last General Election.

If he who can't be named/criticized (Voldermortesque) remains in charge of the nominal opposition same applies for the next one

 

[Bold Seagull]

It's a brave man from the left who tries to make a stand relating to voting numbers from the last General Election.

Not at all. Voting numbers are abstract was the point I was making, as abstract as making a membership claim as a proportion of voters.