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Wednesday, August 05, 2009
Senior Labour Whip: Ministers Should Get a Grip
"Ministers should get a grip on their civil servants."
The trouble is DVLA isn't part of the Civil Service. It was deliberately made into an agency (along with a number of other similar activities) in order to "make it more commercially orientated" and to place it at "arms length" from the government. Clearly this was a deliberate ploy to avoid ministerial responsibility and reduce the official number of civil servants.
Did Blair not insist that the Army buy Austrian MAN lorries instead of a copy of an American truck to be built by LDV - the licence to produce being owned by a subsidiary of Brit aerospace? Wants that EU presidency so badly that he buys it with ONE BILLION of our money.
If they want to buy foreign vehicles for the Army, why not the South African Casspir - no-one has ever died from a mine explosion in a Casspir, it protects its passengers. http://www.africancrisis.co.za/Article.php?ID=49124&
Be fair, Iain. They've only had twelve years to work out how to deal with them.
Actually, I have years of experience as a civil servant under New Labour, and I think the civil service treats ministers with far too much deference - if anything, it's civil servants who should get a grip on ministers. Ministers may be democratically elected, but lots of their policies are silly will have unfortunate or disastrous side effects. And civil servants warning of this is often taken as obstructionism, though in fact it is their duty to the taxpayers who pay their salaries.
If I plonk this comment where it should go, it will be ignored as ancient news, so I'm going to put it here. I've been away for a couple of days, so couldn't comment. Surely THE question for Harriet Harman is:
If the 2 best qualified people for leader and deputy of your party were both to be women, would you countenance the tokenist substitution of a 'lesser' man for one of the positions, in order to maintain your vaunted gender balance?
What is sauce for the goose, Harriet, is sauce for the gander.
Perhaps this represents a failure of whichever "political consultancy" the DVLA uses. I wonder which firm it is? Anyone care to send out an FOI enquiry to them?
I would myself but I am too busy fighting a last desperate stand against the Nazis over on another thread.
The MoD should also get a grip and get the "Ridgeback Armoured Vehicles" needed in Afghanistan to protect British Soldiers from Dubai where they've been stuck since July 16 because there is allegedly no air transport available to actually fly them to Afghanistan
Poor old Spellar doesnt appear to realise that under his own Government's procurement rules and EU law, discriminating in favour of British produced cars would be illegal.
Besides which, they are just not as attractive to the punters DVLA want to attract.
@Gazza's UsefulTips and Blog - From Pedants' Corner: The Union flag in the picture isn't necessarily upside down - it depends on whether the flagpole is on the right or the left. In the absence of a flagpole it's impossible to tell.
As the US General was reported to have said during the Vietnam War, when questioned re the Hearts and Minds campaign to cut off support for the VietCong;
""Hearts and Minds? We gives a damn for hearts and minds. When you've gottem by the balls their hearts and minds follow.""
One presumes that the DVLA got a cheap deal from VW Group, who are after-all the manufacturer of the "People's Car". One would expect NueLieBour to be happy.
Yet amother example of how NueLieBour want to take over everything and institute a totalitarian regime, where everybody knows their place, at the bottom, whilst the politicoes enjoy the fruits of leadership.
Time these idiots where kicked out, sooner rather than later.
And, on a personal footnote I recommend the Rumanian solution, nothing like 9 grams to solve a headache, particualrly when it's on prime time telly, on all channels.
AHHHHH, such deep joy, the pleasure, the expectation, the theatre.
No one has mentioned the most probable reason for the DVLA doing this. I strongly suspect they want to stop people using the Post Office for renewing the licence and when numbers get low enough withdraw the service to lower their costs and put yet another nail in the PO coffin.
Duh! The DVLA is part of the Civil Service. The DVLA gives SEAT Ibizas as prizes because SEAT were the only manufacturer willing to supply their cars for FREE (except the advertising bonus). No British manufacturers were willing to do the same. Perhaps some of Mandelson's magic money (ie our grandchildren's) should have been wasted on this campaign. It's all on the DVLA website. John Spellar is a bit slow on the uptake as this non-story has been around since January. He is obviously unaware that procurement contracts such as the DVLA cars must be advertised Europe-wide and "Buying British" in the EU is as illegal as "British Jobs For British Workers". It gets a headline but means nothing.
Good grief. Is this from the same ideas guy as the free doughnuts for people who bother to vote and then withdrawal of medical treatment for fat people? Are they planning £1000 road taxes for these car owners?
The flag is neither upside-down, nor back-to-front. It is just wrong. The thick white bands are all in the middle, but they shouldn't be. Compare it to a correct flag.
(It is possible to have an upside-down flag, as well as a "back-to-front" one.)
The British Flag is upside down in that picture.
ReplyDeleteWho is surrendering?????
Somehow not surprising as every day it seems that New Labour just don't know which country they live in and insult the people they represent.
Poor, really, really poor.
The trouble is DVLA isn't part of the Civil Service. It was deliberately made into an agency (along with a number of other similar activities) in order to "make it more commercially orientated" and to place it at "arms length" from the government. Clearly this was a deliberate ploy to avoid ministerial responsibility and reduce the official number of civil servants.
ReplyDeleteNo surprise there.
ReplyDeleteDid Blair not insist that the Army buy Austrian MAN lorries instead of a copy of an American truck to be built by LDV - the licence to produce being owned by a subsidiary of Brit aerospace? Wants that EU presidency so badly that he buys it with ONE BILLION of our money.
If they want to buy foreign vehicles for the Army, why not the South African Casspir - no-one has ever died from a mine explosion in a Casspir, it protects its passengers.
http://www.africancrisis.co.za/Article.php?ID=49124&
Be fair, Iain. They've only had twelve years to work out how to deal with them.
ReplyDeleteActually, I have years of experience as a civil servant under New Labour, and I think the civil service treats ministers with far too much deference - if anything, it's civil servants who should get a grip on ministers. Ministers may be democratically elected, but lots of their policies are silly will have unfortunate or disastrous side effects. And civil servants warning of this is often taken as obstructionism, though in fact it is their duty to the taxpayers who pay their salaries.
If I plonk this comment where it should go, it will be ignored as ancient news, so I'm going to put it here. I've been away for a couple of days, so couldn't comment. Surely THE question for Harriet Harman is:
ReplyDeleteIf the 2 best qualified people for leader and deputy of your party were both to be women, would you countenance the tokenist substitution of a 'lesser' man for one of the positions, in order to maintain your vaunted gender balance?
What is sauce for the goose, Harriet, is sauce for the gander.
"The British Flag is upside down in that picture" I thought it was a distress signal ? In which case quite apt.
ReplyDelete"DVLA isn't part of the Civil Service. It was deliberately made into an agency " Not me guv' government. Bombfire of the quangoes, anyone ?
The car is built in Europe, we are Europeans first and foremost so what's the problem? God how I hate this government.
ReplyDeletePerhaps Labour should get a grip on power cazed Harriet who seems to be using the PMS absence to prepare her leadership run
ReplyDeletePerhaps this represents a failure of whichever "political consultancy" the DVLA uses. I wonder which firm it is? Anyone care to send out an FOI enquiry to them?
ReplyDeleteI would myself but I am too busy fighting a last desperate stand against the Nazis over on another thread.
JMT - if you take your tin foil hat off for just a second - it is possible that the MAN truck are far superior.
ReplyDeleteI'm no fan of this government but much of the PFI style defence procurement has actually produced higher quality kit for our troops to use.
BTW - did anyone notice that the Liebour MP featured holds "regular" advice surgeries for his constituents - just nothing until September - Twunt.
The MoD should also get a grip and get the "Ridgeback Armoured Vehicles" needed in Afghanistan to protect British Soldiers from Dubai where they've been stuck since July 16 because there is allegedly no air transport available to actually fly them to Afghanistan
ReplyDeletePoor old Spellar doesnt appear to realise that under his own Government's procurement rules and EU law, discriminating in favour of British produced cars would be illegal.
ReplyDeleteBesides which, they are just not as attractive to the punters DVLA want to attract.
@Gazza's UsefulTips and Blog - From Pedants' Corner: The Union flag in the picture isn't necessarily upside down - it depends on whether the flagpole is on the right or the left. In the absence of a flagpole it's impossible to tell.
ReplyDelete"JMT - if you take your tin foil hat off for just a second - it is possible that the MAN truck are far superior."
ReplyDeleteBut the point is that they weren't:
http://eureferendum.blogspot.com/2007/06/which-side-is-it-on.html
Yes, giving away Seat Ibiza's is bad. Why not make it the new 5 litre Jag XJ! At least make it a good prize!
ReplyDeleteAnd this from a senior government whip...
ReplyDeleteWhich says it all and ends the discussion.
Crafting "unaccountability" has been a growth industry under both political parties over the last 20 years.
ReplyDeleteIt's part of the reason voters loath the present incumbents in Parliament who still vote through such moves.
Dreary liberal said.
ReplyDeleteI would myself but I am too busy fighting a last desperate stand against the Nazis over on another thread.
August 05, 2009 10:11 AM
Are you talking about me dreary,
are you calling me a nazi because i referred to you as a twat ?
w.v baning (how appropriate)
AHH,
ReplyDeleteHearts and Minds.
As the US General was reported to have said during the Vietnam War, when questioned re the Hearts and Minds campaign to cut off support for the VietCong;
""Hearts and Minds?
We gives a damn for hearts and minds.
When you've gottem by the balls their hearts and minds follow.""
One presumes that the DVLA got a cheap deal from VW Group, who are after-all the manufacturer of the "People's Car". One would expect NueLieBour to be happy.
Yet amother example of how NueLieBour want to take over everything and institute a totalitarian regime, where everybody knows their place, at the bottom, whilst the politicoes enjoy the fruits of leadership.
Time these idiots where kicked out, sooner rather than later.
And, on a personal footnote I recommend the Rumanian solution, nothing like 9 grams to solve a headache, particualrly when it's on prime time telly, on all channels.
AHHHHH, such deep joy, the pleasure, the expectation, the theatre.
No one has mentioned the most probable reason for the DVLA doing this. I strongly suspect they want to stop people using the Post Office for renewing the licence and when numbers get low enough withdraw the service to lower their costs and put yet another nail in the PO coffin.
ReplyDeletePete-s
Duh! The DVLA is part of the Civil Service.
ReplyDeleteThe DVLA gives SEAT Ibizas as prizes because SEAT were the only manufacturer willing to supply their cars for FREE (except the advertising bonus). No British manufacturers were willing to do the same. Perhaps some of Mandelson's magic money (ie our grandchildren's) should have been wasted on this campaign. It's all on the DVLA website.
John Spellar is a bit slow on the uptake as this non-story has been around since January. He is obviously unaware that procurement contracts such as the DVLA cars must be advertised Europe-wide and "Buying British" in the EU is as illegal as "British Jobs For British Workers". It gets a headline but means nothing.
It is cheaper for the DVLA to renew road fund tax by phone or internet than at the post office.
ReplyDeleteTo encourage this, they give away three cars, which are provided free of charge by SEAT.
I'm sure if Nissan offered three free Micras, they'd give those away too.
"Senior Labour Whip: Ministers Should Get a Grip"
ReplyDeleteI thought they had, they're all w@nkers.
"Senior Labour Whip: Ministers Should Get a Grip"
ReplyDelete...perferably around the neck.
Good grief. Is this from the same ideas guy as the free doughnuts for people who bother to vote and then withdrawal of medical treatment for fat people?
ReplyDeleteAre they planning £1000 road taxes for these car owners?
Pedantry:
ReplyDeleteThe flag is neither upside-down, nor back-to-front. It is just wrong. The thick white bands are all in the middle, but they shouldn't be. Compare it to a correct flag.
(It is possible to have an upside-down flag, as well as a "back-to-front" one.)
Shame no one's defending them. "Buy British" and protectionism are stupid.
ReplyDeleteI tried to leave a message of complaint on the DVLA web site and got this message:
ReplyDeleteA technical error has occurred
Unfortunately your last action cannot be completed and no information has been recorded.