Cobblers?

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

well FLASHMAN is jumping on the judges in defence of Balls

[Mahlerei]

Ms Cobbler must be exceedingly dim if she thinks anyone's accusing her of killing Baby P. And no-one could possibly expect someone to resign every time a child dies - social services can't be everywhere all the time - but the long chain of incompetence/neglect in this case is too extreme to pass off as just another death. That surely demands she - as the highly paid person in charge of this chaotic department - should accept responsibility and resign. It was pretty cold-blooded of her to then turn round and play the blame game she doesn't appear to believe in. The arrogance of it all beggars belief, it really does.

[greenilex]

I think I know too little about Haringey to venture an opinion.

She probably had one of the most difficult jobs on the planet....

[Flosshilde]

I think I know too little about Haringey to venture an opinion.

She probably had one of the most difficult jobs on the planet....

She, and social workers generally. If memory serves, Haringey social services dept was understaffed at the time, & the person who actrually dealt with the case had a greater caseload than they should have had, was fairly inexperienced, & didn't get the amount of supervision she should have had. The latter could have been Ms. Shoesmith's fault, but generally the lack of staff is down to the lack of people willing to do a highly stressfull job. A lot of that stress is caused by press (& politicians) who criticise social workers whatever they do (especially in children's work), either for intervening ('interfering') too much, or not enough.

Maybe Ms Shoesmith should have been sacked - but being sacked by Balls making an announcement on television is not the way to do it, which was the substance of her case.

[eighthobstruction]

She should have resigned in the first place....probably....and may have done but for Balls intervention. But as others have said the dept was by no eans up to strength....it was let down badly by Medical Professionals; their lack of good care and forensic questioning....and the timescales of scheduling appointments and liason between doctors and HSS dept staff....

As for Today Interview....She completely right to query 'blame', but to take ultimate 'responsibility'....

Sharon S was very ill at one time during this process and her pillorying....and I think now, she might quite honestly said to be 'high' in mood, and a little bit out of kilter....I think mentally she may be riding for a fall....I hope not....I feel she did her best generally from what I have read and seen....

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

i am pretty much amazed that anyone in the public sector organisations manages to do anything successful at all ... to call such miasmatic structures of authority 'designed' is only possible if you interpret the rules and roles as explicitly intended to avoid responsibility and achievement lest blame be incurred ... decisions are taken in multifarious committees that pay no regard to other decisions, etc .... dysfunctional people are not constrained by accountability and quite seriously damaged individuals get into power ... and whatever is attempted with good intent locally will be swept away be a Whitehall fiat .... i honestly do not know how any one can stand it, Ms Cobblers would share in common with every single other Director in the country the shambles underneath her ...

BROON & Balls were responsible for one of the all time great screw-ups of public sector bureaucracies when they ahem 'merged' IR and HMC&E ... noticed how good they have been last few years? ... i have not encountered any aspect of the government machine in the last ten years that could not be described as sick in organisational terms .... confused by changing priorities, badly assembled, under resourced and ill targeted ... with an elite that is way out of touch with its front line staff .... one could not reproduce quotes from staff or professionals about how they are managed they are so venomous ... it is a fundamental malaise of this country that our machinery of government is pretty well f*cked up ... to pick on individuals for systemic failures may have some point and veracity, but this is a trivial exercise of the primate gossip mind set of the tabloid press and far from what is needful ... and diverts attention from the deep flaws in the public sectors organisations ...

[Serial_Apologist]

Somehow remins me of the clergyman who decides to make his Sunday homily the Sermon on the Mount. After narrating the story of the feeding of the five thousand, he concludes definitively, "Nobody but The Lord could have done this". Whereupon a voice at the back of the church pips up, "I coulda done it!" The vicar had got his numbers in a twist. "What you said was that five thousand loaves and fishes were used to feed five people", his wife tells him. "Oh my goodness me!" exclaims the vicar; "then next Sunday I will preach that sermon all over again, and this time, make sure I get it right!" And so he does - this time making sure he gets it right. So when, having in full certainty once more intoned the words, "And nobody but The Lord could have done this", that voice at the back again shouts, "I coulda done it!" our clergyman demands to know, "Oh yes? And HOW could you have done it, eh?" And the voice replies, "With the stuff left over from last week!".

[Chris Newman]

Surely the matter was a balls-up all round.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

The most suspect thing of all was that it was Ofsted who pointed the finger. That this bunch of smug, self-satisfied and largely incompetent jerks should pass judgement on anyone defies belief. I don't think they've ever said anything remotely helpful or constructive since they were formed in the days of the now-discredited Chris Woodhead.

[Lateralthinking1]

The caring society:

Castlebeck - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-13617196.

Back in February, Castlebeck were declared one of the fastest growing companies.

http://www.nebusiness.co.uk/business-news/latest-business-news/2011/02/08/health-firm-castlebeck-is-on-the-fast-track-51140-28133530/

It was overall winner of the 2010 Healthcare 100 Best Employer Award.

http://www.communitycare.co.uk/blogs...scandal-1.html.

London, 6th July 2006 - "HgCapital, the European sector-focused private equity investor, today announced the sale of Castlebeck to Castle Holdings Limited, a Jersey-registered company associated with Barchester Healthcare group, the leading quality private healthcare provider". And behind it, some of the country's wealthiest:

http://www.theirishworld.com/article.asp?SubSection_Id=6&Article_Id=480

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Magnier

Campaigners warn over incapacity benefit changes - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-13611298

"Government changes to the benefits system are already having a devastating effect on people with mental health problems, campaigners have said.

The group, including charity Mind, strongly criticised the work capability assessment (WCA), which will be used to reassess people on incapacity benefit.

In a letter to the Guardian, they said the changes were causing "huge" distress and had resulted in suicides".

[eighthobstruction]

Thanks for that LT....

[charles t]

LT1 and ocho-obstructo:

So, what do you do if 'you' (ie, Barbra Streisand) has a 11 million dollar property in Malibu that can't be unloaded:

(pls read)

http://www.dailynews.com/ci_18176925

[eighthobstruction]

Sounds like a good place for Squatters to create a new Haight- Ashbury....I came upon a child of God etcetc....

[Lateralthinking1]

Even that doesn't end as it should do.

http://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/non-fiction/christopher-hudson/spring-street-summer/

Oddly enough, given the dire reviews, I liked this book.

[eighthobstruction]

I must check it out LT....