BBC Blog Network

User Profile

uncivil-civilservant

Listed below are comments made by uncivil-civilservant between Wednesday, 9th December 2009 and Friday, 11th December 2009.

«Newer
Older»

Pre-Budget report disagreement between Treasury and No 10 11:37am on 11 Dec 2009 I though Ed Balls had £2bn sloshing around in DCSF of funds he said could be found through efficiency.

Oh silly me he said that on camera as a moment of spin.......

Many on here commented at the time I seem to recall that he could find £2Bn just like that!!! I believe that part of his "cunning plan" was to get rid of Assistant Head Teachers from the schools. What happened to that idea?
Pre-Budget report disagreement between Treasury and No 10 11:33am on 11 Dec 2009 Gthecelt wrote:
Isn't there a law against financial ruination of the country for political gain? And if there isn't this should be introduced immediately in the next parliament and be applied retrospectively.

===================================================================

Actually yes there is a process of impeachment but it requires the speaker to agree to a debate and the HoC to vote and agree to impeachment.

In the unlikely event of the government being defeated in the division the Commons will witness the most dramatic event in the Palace of Westminster in modern times: the prime minister will be arrested.

The Serjeant-at-Arms will take custody of Mr Brown and hand over the prime minister to Black Rod in the House of Lords, where he would be likely to be granted bail.

Black Rod would then be ordered to the House of Lords where he will inform peers that impeachment proceedings have started.

He would then tell the Upper House that the articles for his impeachment will be presented to them "in due time."

When the articles are formally presented to the Lords, peers will set a date for the trial.

Westminster Hall - the traditional courtroom for great enemies of the English establishment including William Wallace and Thomas More - would probably be the venue for Mr Brown's impeachment trial.
The Lords would act as jury, and the Commons would put forward 'managers' to act as the counsel for the prosecution.

The prime minister would be able to put his case and call witnesses.

When all sides have presented their evidence, the Lord Chancellor, who presides over the trial, would ask the peers whether the prime minister is guilty or not guilty on each article of impeachment.

The bible of Parliamentary practice, Erskine May, describes the procedures: "The peers in succession rise in their places when the question is put, and standing uncovered, and laying their right hands upon their breasts, answers, 'guilty', or 'not guilty', as the case may be."

If the prime minister is found not guilty, impeachment is dismissed.

But if a guilty verdict is returned the drama continues.

Judgement is formally declared in a sitting of the House of Lords.

Black Rod would march to the Commons and invite the 'managers' to hear the judgement.

The prime minister would also be called to the bar of the Lords to hear the Lord Chancellor pronounce the decision.

MPs have the final say on sentencing.

Calling a general election will not prevent the wheels of impeachment turning. The allegations survive both the end of the Parliamentary year and even dissolution.

It is a pity it will not happen.
Pre-Budget report plans imply cuts 10:53pm on 10 Dec 2009 I said in one of my posts this week that the PBR would unravel within a day, and boy has it ever.

Mike I dont know where you have been today but the PBR and what it means to people has been the main topic in the Public Service. The length of the posts suggest a briefing from tired Labour press office.

I dont always agree with Saga, but the lower earners in the public sector will be hit very hard both in a pay cap, 1% NI rise and an increase in pension contributions. Oh yes a large portion of those staff are also "frontline" directly treating patients.

This could be yet another "10p tax mess" for GB and tired Labour.IFS is seldom wrong and other BBC commentators have said that the additional blackhole is an open secret.

We need an election now
Ouch! 11:42am on 10 Dec 2009 Mark_WE wrote: @ 121

Simple tax system and simple benefit system, most of the costs could probably be made from efficiency cuts in the tax and benefit areas of the public sector (a simple system is more efficient and cheaper to run)

================================================================

Thinking of the "Yes Minister/Prime Minister series Humphery would launch into the defence of the civil service and the "end of the world as we know it" but then privately admit it is actually is a good idea.

Madarins at Treasury and IR and Customs won't thats why it would not happen.
Ouch! 11:05am on 10 Dec 2009 Can I suggest another Government Scrappage Scheme. We have 10 yo Cars, now old heating boilers.

How about scrapping a Government over 12yo like this one?
Ouch! 09:58am on 10 Dec 2009 bluntjeremy @ 100 Very well said.
Ouch! 09:41am on 10 Dec 2009 I don't know if someone has already said this, but when GB said "we have ended boom and bust" he is right actually. The Government has ensured Bust with an end to boom for at least 10 years.
Ouch! 6:34pm on 09 Dec 2009 21. At 5:24pm on 09 Dec 2009, JohnConstable wrote:
epochery @ 18

You trust them {Labour} to support much needed public services.

Today it is reported that the Labour Government has just pulled the plug on a failed NHS IT system, wasting some £30,000,000,000 (that is £30 billion pounds).

===========================================================

Sorry JohnConstable - I do not want anyone to think that I would support this tired labour government. However, in the interest of fairness, they are taking £600m out of a £12.1Bn budget of which they have spent about £4.5Bn.

However they could get rid of all the management IT consultants and would save a significant amount.
Chancellor aims to get serious about deficit 11:45am on 09 Dec 2009 Saga @58

Thanks for the explanation, nothing forced by the way. You didn’t mention those earning a smidgen or a tad over the mean or median wadge LOL. Sorry for the gallows humour.

Whatever happens everyone will be worse off and unfortunately that includes those not even earning a peanut let alone peanuts.
Chancellor aims to get serious about deficit 10:28am on 09 Dec 2009 Nick

If the past tells us anything it will not be what is said by AD this afternoon, but in the documents that are released by the Government as the Chancellor stands up that contain the detail.

The previous budgets and PBR statements have been smoke and mirrors for the last 12 years and always with some rabbit out of hat attempts in the final minute. All with a significant dash of spin.

It is only with the analysis of the Red Book and other documents released does it become evident what has been "buried" so as not to attract attention.

Like others that have posted here today this is a pre-election PBR, it will be a populist statement with the Government trying to rescue votes. AD said on Sunday that they have not done a spending review, so any major spending cuts will be made if tired Labour win the election.

With the ratings agents looking at the UK and US and starting to mention that the economy of both countries is starting to look "flaky" then it is very possible that UK may go the same way as Greece has this week by having the rating cut from AAA to BBB+ making it difficult for the Government to borrow further. If that hapened taxes would rise significantly and spending on everything reduced.

Finally on a minor point

sagamix @13 wrote:

(2) A significant rise in personal income tax - for all but low earners - average earners to pay more - middle and high earners to pay considerably more.

===================================================================

Saga not wishing to be picky, but average and middle are the same. Average is defined as "The average is a calculated "central" value of a set of numbers." Central is the middle!!

«Newer
Older»

^ Back to top

BBC MMVI

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites

BBC.co.uk

BBC Blog Network

Find and talk to the BBC's bloggers.

User Profile

uncivil-civilservant