Bonfire of the Quangos
I remember sitting in the Council Chamber ripping into a Labour Councillor over the election promises for a bonfire of the quangos, and pointing out that the number of quangos had increased rather than reduced.
To be fair to the Councillor who shall remain nameless (Docus), he took it in good spirit and gave a robust - if deeply unconvincing and unconvinced response in public - before joking about it later.
Now the boot is on the other foot, and I have no doubt that "Marine Scotland" will get the kicking that it duly deserves. With a remit that stretches from the impossible to the improbable.
The good news is that it
As the joy and glad rings out across the land, and bonfires of SNH consultants, designations consultations and assorted politicians light the skies to herald the approach of another bunch of unelected (and unelectable) gravy-trainers taking Ministerial salaries to deliver underwhelming non-answers to the big questions, and demanding more staff to deliver these non-answers, one has to ask the simple question: why? Oh, why the f?
Do we really need more people telling us that they might need to regulate what we have been doing successfully for centuries?
Placing more restrictions for the benefit of potential visitors that may or may not want to visit islands where the population have vanished due to the self-same restrictions.
Call me a cynic, but I saw enough of this aimless shit drifting through the Council, at the behest of superannuated civil servants and serial committee sitters, over the eight years I was there.
To be fair to the Councillor who shall remain nameless (Docus), he took it in good spirit and gave a robust - if deeply unconvincing and unconvinced response in public - before joking about it later.
Now the boot is on the other foot, and I have no doubt that "Marine Scotland" will get the kicking that it duly deserves. With a remit that stretches from the impossible to the improbable.
The good news is that it
will be established to deliver a coherent and focused approachIs any organisation established to deliver an incoherent and unfocussed approach? With the possible exception of virtually every quango.
As the joy and glad rings out across the land, and bonfires of SNH consultants, designations consultations and assorted politicians light the skies to herald the approach of another bunch of unelected (and unelectable) gravy-trainers taking Ministerial salaries to deliver underwhelming non-answers to the big questions, and demanding more staff to deliver these non-answers, one has to ask the simple question: why? Oh, why the f?
Do we really need more people telling us that they might need to regulate what we have been doing successfully for centuries?
Placing more restrictions for the benefit of potential visitors that may or may not want to visit islands where the population have vanished due to the self-same restrictions.
Call me a cynic, but I saw enough of this aimless shit drifting through the Council, at the behest of superannuated civil servants and serial committee sitters, over the eight years I was there.
3 comments:
Well it has got to be said,
Docus is a fanny of the first order.
We need designations and quangos. Why else do Harris want a National park and national park authority?
Angus,
Two facts that, of course, you won't want to get in the way of a good argument, but are nevertheless facts!
1. Marine Scotland will not be a Quango (at least not an NDPB), it will be an Executive Agency - that is, a Directorate of the Scottish Government with a new "brand name". Three former directorates/executive agencies will disappear and be amalgamated to form Marine Scotland - this is simplification or focus! However, there will of course be Ministerial salaries - but have you ever run a country without civil servants?
2. Designations etc are useful - they help dematcate/defend the public interest against private profiteering - whether from private landlords (who, I think, you dislike), capitalist companies (who you pander too if they promise a crumb from their table) or even paracohical councils/councillors!
Get real!
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