Getting it done ....

[Dave2002]

Oh - so now the new way to do nothing is to do nothing, or not much, but shout loudly and at increasing pitch "We're getting it done!"

I'll leave it there for now, and await further developments.

[Serial_Apologist]

Oh - so now the new way to do nothing is to do nothing, or not much, but shout loudly and at increasing pitch "We're getting it done!"

I'll leave it there for now, and await further developments.

If this is regarding policy initiatives, for ever since I can remember we have had government ministers prematurely brought in for interview who declare themselves duty-bound not to announce anything that is either under review, subject to court or official enquiry proceedings, or due for announcement in a Commons statement from the minister concerned next week. I can never figure what the point of this is.

[DracoM]

[eighthobstruction]

....just quickly OT [but really hoping to subvert the bthread]....all these promised £ millions neigh £ billions for this and THAT....sounds like a perfect climate/environment for scammers, management consultants,rascals, knaves, obdurate deception, fraudsters, snout in trough etc etc....

[Cockney Sparrow]

I've only taken Private Eye as a news periodical - pages filled with backscratching, collusion, disadvantage to taxpayers, low level fraud and more serious fraud. Both those close to government (or its pals) or ordinary arms-length criminals.

Interesting programme on R4 yesterday 11:30:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000g3hx

The Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI), introduced in 2012, encouraged business and other non-domestic users to replace their fossil fuel heat generators with bio mass boilers powered by wood pellets. The scheme offered long term financial support to cover the cost of the switchover. It was to help Northern Ireland meet its green energy targets.

Policy formulators (but absent Assembly "Ministers") "close to business sectors" - sectors which profited from gross over subsidy (without cost of subsidy limitations) of the heat burned. Wilful blindness (or worse) to plundering of taxpayers money - but for quite a while they thought it came from UK treasury budgets. Then they found it was payable from N.Ireland budgets. No wonder they needed to extort money from the minority T.May government to make up their budgets. No wonder the Republic of Ireland is none too keen to absorb the six counties.

[Dave2002]

....just quickly OT [but really hoping to subvert the bthread]....all these promised £ millions neigh £ billions for this and THAT....sounds like a perfect climate/environment for scammers, management consultants,rascals, knaves, obdurate deception, fraudsters, snout in trough etc etc....

Perhaps, and just look at the smug faces of the Chancellor and the PM as they put forward these revelations.

[LeMartinPecheur]

....all these promised £ millions neigh £ billions

Eighth - are you perchance hinting that those making these promises are complete asses?

[eighthobstruction]

Eighth - are you perchance hinting that those making these promises are complete asses?

....who is the carrot for really LeMartinPecheur....and where are they going to stick it....eeeeooorr

[richardfinegold]

Oh - so now the new way to do nothing is to do nothing, or not much, but shout loudly and at increasing pitch "We're getting it done!"

I'll leave it there for now, and await further developments.

Blame 24/7 News Cycles that never allow for repose. Administrators always have to appear to doing something, even if they haven’t had time to figure out what needs to be done

[Padraig]

No wonder the Republic of Ireland is none too keen to absorb the six counties.

Yeah well... the Report on the scheme is due out on Friday.

Meanwhile Sam McBrides book Burned* gives a puff by puff account of the scheme and all its participants.

* Already referenced in a previous thread.

[Dave2002]

Actually maybe the budget as a whole, given the circumstances, isn't too bad. What is galling is the fact that a lot of these suggestions have been made before, but rejected by several Tory governments. Treating the failure to increase some taxes on drinks and cars according to a formula as a benefit is somewhat dishonest. If I threaten to steal my neighbour's car, and then change my mind, is that a benefit for him or her? I don't think so.

Spending to attempt to ameliorate the effects of the coronavirus makes sense. It's also good that some help is at last going to be given to those whose houses have been flooded recently. Spending on roads - isn't that just going to make some problems a lot worse?

[muzzer]

I can’t see the wet wipes for the dead cats. They’ve got to avoid mass panic in the next fortnight plus before any of this budget stuff can mean anything at all.

[Serial_Apologist]

Actually maybe the budget as a whole, given the circumstances, isn't too bad. What is galling is the fact that a lot of these suggestions have been made before, but rejected by several Tory governments. Treating the failure to increase some taxes on drinks and cars according to a formula as a benefit is somewhat dishonest. If I threaten to steal my neighbour's car, and then change my mind, is that a benefit for him or her? I don't think so.

Spending to attempt to ameliorate the effects of the coronavirus makes sense. It's also good that some help is at last going to be given to those whose houses have been flooded recently. Spending on roads - isn't that just going to make some problems a lot worse?

It took several reporter contributions on today's lunchtime news before one of them suddenly made the single observation that Labour had been trashed by everybody in the mainstream media for proposing similar expenditure in its pre-election pledges. Actually he didn't say trashed, just that this was exactly the sort of budget Labour had been proposing, while BBC reporters were reporting door step opinions to the effect that they would never be doing this or were not competent and therefore not to be trusted, which was why people weren't voting for them, etc etc.

Has anyone else noticed of late an increasing tendency of interviews to more and more resemble that hilarious Two Ronnies sketch in which Ronnie Barker asks the questions to which Ronnie Corbett has just given the answers?

[ardcarp]

Has anyone else noticed of late an increasing tendency of interviews to more and more resemble that hilarious Two Ronnies sketch in which Ronnie Barker asks the questions to which Ronnie Corbett has just given the answers?

There is a difference between announcing loads of cash and people getting their hands on any. For instance, I don't see a low-paid worker, having to 'self-isolate', receiving any bounty without having to make a huge fuss, fill in multiple online forms and wait 5 weeks for 'an advance' (i.e. a loan). And has your local GP surgery got all the kit they need yet...and will they get it next week, the week after, the week after that, ever?

I think the acid test will be the building of 40 hospitals, recruiting and training20,000 new nurses, rescuing further education and dualling (a bit of) the A303. That's because they've got aa long way to go to get to the point 10 years ago when they came to, er, power.

[Dave2002]

I think the acid test will be the building of 40 hospitals, recruiting and training 20,000 new nurses, rescuing further education and dualling (a bit of) the A303. That's because they've got a long way to go to get to the point 10 years ago when they came to, er, power.

The joke about the 40 hospitals is that BJ was spouting about this last year, and there was considerable investigation and probing by journalists, and the conclusion was that there might have been 6 in early stages of development, but the remaining 34 were vapour constructions. Staffing was always going to be an issue.

It's a about as sensible as the Plib - which if I remember was a marvellous invention/discovery which we really need right now. It is a single pill which will cure any disease. Great concept, but vapour pharmacy. I can't find a video right now - but I think it was one of Peter Cook's ideas.