More government stupidity.

[August West]

Or do like the French did, nearly a decade ago, and abandon it altogether?

[Roland Perry]

In message , at 10:27:41 on Mon, 11 Jun 2007, August West remarked:

Doesn't look very abandoned to me:

[August West]

[The Natural Philosopher]

But you fail to see the point.

The managers were issued with instructions.

"Paint the moon Blue"

THEIR function is to come up with plausible reasons for failure, an assurance of future success, and a budget that ensures they will keep their jobs and their power base.

Its not the managers that are at fault, its their bosses.

[Tony Bryer]

Note just here: from the book "I've been thinking" by New Zealand politician Richard Prebble:

"The Post Office told me they were having terrible problems tracking telephone lines ... They found an excellent program in Sweden which the Swedes were prepared to sell them for $2m .... So the managers decided to budget $1m for translating into English and another $1m for contingencies.

... But, as the general manager explained, it had turned out to be more expensive than the contingency budget allowed and they needed another $7m

"How much", I asked, "have you spent on it so far?"

"Thirty-seven million dollars" was the reply.

"Why don't we cancel the programme?" I asked

"How can we cancel a programme that has cost $37m?" they asked

"Do you believe the programme will ever work?" I asked

"No, not properly"

"Then write me a letter recommending its cancellation and I will sign it"

The relief was visible. I signed the letter, but I knew I needed new managers."

[Mark T.B. Carroll]

Having seen rather more of it than I have, I wonder to what extent you think that this state of affairs is necessary, or how this data capture could be improved?

(Is this sufficiently on-topic for uk.d-i-y ?)

-- Mark

[Tony Bryer]

Arguably it's us. When the Daily Mail prints another shock horror disgrace scandal government U-turn story it's because it expects millions of people to be shocked, upset, etc. The minister who stands up and says "we thought this would work, but it doesn't look like it will so we are cancelling it/changing it/starting again" should be applauded for his honesty, not jeered. If we encourage people to make bad calls, we shouldn't be surprised if they do.

[Dave]

:-)

The question I would have asked is...

What is this democratic process to write about?

Democracy went out of the window even before this couch potato government came into power. We are as democratically ruled, as were the Russians under Stalin.

The local and national governments just steal money off us and pretend to govern.

Dave

Dave

[Tim Ward]

*Some* of it is obviously essential as part of our guarantee of civil liberties. One does however have to wonder whether the totality of the current regime is a bit OTT.

Not a clue. It's fine for cam.misc.

[Rupert Moss-Eccardt]

[snip]

Bzzt. You forget about the schemes for contractors.

[Roger]

The message from Frank Erskine contains these words:

I am a long way behind with my reading so this point may have been made already but isn't all computer system development outsourced to one (or possibly more than one) of Tony's Cronies?

[Frank Erskine]

Well, Siemens seems to be a popular choice...

(Probably in deference to John Prescott, who was a seaman.)

[Andy Hall]

In what role one wonders.

[Owain]

Bar steward, weren't it?

Owain

[Dave]

I think it depends how you spell seaman ;-)

Dave

[John Rumm]

ballast

[Frank Erskine]

A l'eau, c'est l'heure :-)

[The Natural Philosopher]

Dave wrote: )

A means by which the Top self legalising Mafia can be removed without bloodshed once every 5 years if enough people care enough.

Sadly seldom are they replaced with anything better.

Well democracy as she was invented by the Greeks, never prospered outside a city state at all.

And make up make-work for their chaps to do, to keep them employed.

[ian]

In message , Graeme writes ....

Graeme, while we've got you on the line, can you answer this one. Why are application forms for passports only available at main post offices, and why only at the counter?

[The Natural Philosopher]

IIRC you can download one off the website.