Guest 716- Registered: 9 Jun 2011
- Posts: 4,010
Whitehall calls 'hit squad' to save coalition's ailing projects
About one hundred high-powered troubleshooters are to be drafted into Whitehall from the private sector to save the Government's riskiest projects, The Times has learnt. The experts from management consultants and other industries will help to turn around difficult schemes such as Universal Credit, High Speed rail (HS2), and electronic tagging. They will also help to monitor new contracts and bulk purchasing across the public sector. The move follows months of criticism over the lack of commercial skills within Whitehall after a series of IT disasters and other fiascos that have wasted hundreds of millions of pounds of taxpayers' money. The Commons liaison committee has recently called for a parliamentary commission after concluding that civil servants have failed to "design or monitor" effective contracts with the private...
Full story The Times.
Keith Sansum1
- Location: london
- Registered: 25 Aug 2010
- Posts: 23,942
oh dear at a cost,,,,
ALL POSTS ARE MY OWN PERSONAL VIEWS
Guest 716- Registered: 9 Jun 2011
- Posts: 4,010
David Cameron 'must stop pandering to Ukip prejudices'.............................................
Head of thinktank warns that prime minister is championing 'negative, uninspiring' politics in response to immigration fears
David Cameron is guilty of "pandering to prejudice, uncertainty and anger" as he responds to the threat posed by the UK Independence party by championing a "negative and uninspiring" form of politics, a leading moderniser has warned.
Ryan Shorthouse, the head of the Bright Blue thinktank, warns No 10 that it cannot "outdo Ukip" - echoing deep concerns among modernising ministers that the prime minister has abandoned his early optimistic approach, which won him the Tory leadership in 2005 and unsettled the Labour party. They fear the change of stance is damaging the Conservatives.
Shorthouse said: "At the moment, the messaging is quite negative and uninspiring - it's not enough to win voters and gain momentum. We need to be more inspiring and bigger picture than that and we need a positive vision, not just pandering to prejudice and uncertainty and anger.
"There has been a surge in Ukip, but you can't outdo Ukip. I often think the more you make an issue out of things like immigration and benefits, the more you make an issue out of things like benefit tourism, people will think it is a really big problem and Ukip are the ones that benefit."
The remarks by Shorthouse, who used to work for the culture secretary, Maria Miller, and the universities minister, David Willetts, echo the fears of ministers and modernising officials who have recently left Downing Street.
Keith Sansum1- Location: london
- Registered: 25 Aug 2010
- Posts: 23,942
I think when you pander to a protest party over a few votes you lose sight of the bigger picture.
The mouse has to decide if hes a real challenger for the coming general election
or just trying to be popular to a few
ALL POSTS ARE MY OWN PERSONAL VIEWS
Guest 716- Registered: 9 Jun 2011
- Posts: 4,010
Them and us......they are all in it together......out of touch big time...
David Cameron accused of cronyism over New Year Honours list
Award recipients include long-serving MPs and Tory party donors
David Cameron is facing accusations of cronyism after a succession of senior Conservatives and supporters of the party were recognised in the New Year Honours list.
The roll call of awards for serving the nation included senior aides to the late Baroness Thatcher, long-serving MPs, Tory stalwarts in the Prime Minister's Oxfordshire heartland, two Tory donors and a public relations chief who has holidayed with Mr Cameron.
It also featured the star of The Apprentice, Karren Brady, who is appointed CBE for services to entrepreneurship and encouraging women in business. She is being wooed by the Tories to become a MP in 2015 or to stand as Mayor of London the following year.
Labour MP John Mann said: "It's inappropriate to use the honours system for political patronage. That's what's happening - everyone can see that. It is demeaning for David Cameron to use his position as Prime Minister like this."
The row threatened to overshadow a shift in the distribution of the awards, which saw the number of women receiving a gong outnumber men for the first time in the modern era of the honours system, which began in 1917 with the advent of the OBE. Of the 1,195 people named in the list, 51 per cent are women, compared to 40 years ago when the figure was just 17 per cent. As recently as 2004, the number of women receiving honours stood at barely a third of the total.
Keith Sansum1- Location: london
- Registered: 25 Aug 2010
- Posts: 23,942
The honours list should not be used in this way
ALL POSTS ARE MY OWN PERSONAL VIEWS
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
it was good that karren brady - vice chairperson at west ham got her c.b.e. in recognition of her team playing free flowing football and not for brown nosing around dave and george.
most certainly not the latter.
Keith Sansum1- Location: london
- Registered: 25 Aug 2010
- Posts: 23,942
time to change how honours are given
and to who
ALL POSTS ARE MY OWN PERSONAL VIEWS
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
i think the present system is ok as everyone knows how it works, you just give large sums of money to your favourite political party and when they get in power they come across with a gong.
people who spend their lives helping old ladies across the road or keeping loads of abandoned dogs/cats etc in their home don't have to shell out but will get a minor gong anyway.
Keith Sansum1- Location: london
- Registered: 25 Aug 2010
- Posts: 23,942
agreed time to change or scrap it
ALL POSTS ARE MY OWN PERSONAL VIEWS
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
don't rush anything keith until mine is safely through.
Keith Sansum1- Location: london
- Registered: 25 Aug 2010
- Posts: 23,942
for your support for UKIP?
i will get farrage to organise it lol
ALL POSTS ARE MY OWN PERSONAL VIEWS
Guest 745- Registered: 27 Mar 2012
- Posts: 3,370
I should be getting a sir Keith, shortly then
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
i have to admit i did bung lord pearson a ton in used ten pound notes on his visit to dover in advance of ukip forming a government in the future.
problem with the aristocracy is they tend to forget such things when they return to their grouse moor.
Bob Whysman
- Registered: 23 Aug 2013
- Posts: 1,938
Keith Bibby wrote:I should be getting a sir Keith, shortly then
I think you are getting the spelling of sir confused Keith....you would probably qualify quite easily for the alternative one.
Do nothing and nothing happens.
Guest 671- Registered: 4 May 2008
- Posts: 2,095
Sir Kevin Barron, Labour MP for Rother Valley and chairman of a committee which polices ethics in the Commons, is knighted for his political and public service.
In October 2012, Sir Kevin was found to be using taxpayer funds to rent a family home from a shadow Cabinet minister.
The Daily Telegraph disclosed that Mr Barron claimed £1,500 a month to rent a home belonging to Jon Trickett, a shadow Cabinet Office minister between July 2011 and September 2012, after selling his taxpayer-funded flat for a £500,000 profit.
Sir Kevin said at the time: "The rental agreement I had with Jon Trickett has now terminated. Whilst it is within the rules, in retrospect it would have been better not to have rented off a colleague."
Why are people like this getting knighted?
"My New Year's Resolution, is to try and emulate Marek's level of chilled out, thoughtfulness and humour towards other forumites and not lose my decorum"
Guest 698- Registered: 28 May 2010
- Posts: 8,664
478, Probably as long as you are permitted to indulge your own obsession with spotting American wardrobes, Reg.
479, Labour obviously no better than the other parties where personal probity is concerned. Denis MacShane, jailed for 6 months on Dec 23 for expenses fiddles, for example.
I'm an optimist. But I'm an optimist who takes my raincoat - Harold Wilson
Guest 671- Registered: 4 May 2008
- Posts: 2,095
Peter.
I don't rate people by what party the represent any more.
I rate people on how they conduct themselves, morally and honestly.
"My New Year's Resolution, is to try and emulate Marek's level of chilled out, thoughtfulness and humour towards other forumites and not lose my decorum"
Guest 698- Registered: 28 May 2010
- Posts: 8,664
I agree Gary. I know personally people in all 4 main parties whom I greatly admire, also some in all parties whom I consider to merit the same description as KeithB applied to Bob W on another thread.
I'm an optimist. But I'm an optimist who takes my raincoat - Harold Wilson
Jan Higgins
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 5 Jul 2010
- Posts: 13,897
Gary and Peter, I agree and well put by both of you.
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I try to be neutral and polite but it is hard and getting even more difficult at times.
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