Remember this quote, detailing Gordon Brown's legendary skills as a team player?'The idea that he's a team player is utterly ludicrous. He comes into the Cabinet with a big sheaf of papers and scribbles on them, ignoring the discussion. He sees a small number of civil servants as 'one of us', bypasses others' (A former Permanent Secretary who has worked closely with Brown, Daily Telegraph, 22 September 2006).
I suppose it should come as no surprise therefore to learn that the Treasury has spent £54,000 on team building exercises in the last year. On what? Paintballing?
This information was obtained in an FOI request. The letter from HM Treasury helpfully points out...
Away days and staff team building days are included within the Treasury learning and development programme as a means to promoting effective working relationships, teamworking, and shared understanding of cross-cutting objectives.
What the hell is a 'cross-cutting objective' when it's at home? I'd be impressed it they meant 'cost-cutting', but I guess that would be a wholly new concept to Treasury civil servants...
"cross-cutting objective" n. British Airways personal jewellery policy (c. 2006, deriv. unkn.)
ReplyDeleteOh, God! That picture of Gordon Brown was ghoulish! He makes me feel squeamish You should put pictures like that up because you never know when someone may be eating.
ReplyDeleteSurely that should be "cross dressing objective"
ReplyDelete'Cross cutting' is when a treasury wonk gets very angry about private people having their own pensions so they now have to give them to other people in the public sector.
ReplyDeleteIain, unlike you to take ides with the permanent, unsackable, unaccountable Civil Service!
ReplyDeleteSounds like GB has a very good idea of how to deal with the civil service. Did Thatcher or Blair try to engage in discussion with them? No. They're meant to be there to do what needs to be done, but they're devilishly hard to fire, so politicians have to work around the timeservers and the Sir Humphreys.
Get things done! I'll vote for any party who promises to take a machete (or even a scalpel) to the civil service.
Cross-cutting objective is I think working closer with both other teams within the Treasury, and also working closer with other government departments.
ReplyDeleteGiven that civil servants are more likely than your average person to vote wouldn't it be more constructive to engage with them rather than take any opportunity to paint them all with the Sir Humphrey brush?
Not to mention the fact that if the Tories win the next election (fingers crossed) you'll actually have to work with them.
Whose Team Does Gordon Brown Bat For?
ReplyDeleteYou wicked wicked man (+:
Cross-cutting objective - isn't this the excuse which was invented for the continued requirement for Prezza ?
ReplyDeleteThat different departments had 'cross-cutting objectives' which he had to go in and help facilitate a solution ? [yeah, right..]
Cross-cutting as in objectives which cut across different teams, or departments. Shared objectives, if you will.
ReplyDeleteA true story...
ReplyDeleteA new Downing Street press officer is given the task of ringing Gordon's team to ask if they will give him the lowdown on an important economic speech the Chancellor is due to make that day. He will then brief the Prime Minister just in case he is asked about the speech during the day.
The response?
A derisive snort, followed by 'Piss off!'
Downing Street new boy tries again: 'Look, I've been asked to do this so we can actually brief the PM.'
'Exactly - piss off!'
A team player, indeed.
The Scottish Team - OF COURSE
ReplyDeleteTypical NewLabourspeak, doesn't mean anything but allows them to throw our money at their mates who pretend to be "Consultants" in order to sup from the gravy train of organising these pointless beanos. Those of us serving hard time in Local Govt are very very familiar with this particular dodgy manouvre.
ReplyDelete