Will Greenhow announces his retirement

[Bandits]

9 minutes ago, SleepyJoe said:

Well he has committed to change in government, so change in government there must be

A reduction in the number of departments would be a very good start

A reduction in the number of anything would put him ahead of anything that’s happened in the last 20 years.

[2112]

27 minutes ago, SleepyJoe said:

Well he has committed to change in government, so change in government there must be

A reduction in the number of departments would be a very good start

Committed to change, saying and doing it are too separate things. It’s when it’s actually done and fully implemented that we can believe. In usual IOMG style, it will be a quarter job, and will be bodged at best. 

[WTF]

26 minutes ago, Bandits said:

A reduction in the number of anything would put him ahead of anything that’s happened in the last 20 years.

there has been a huge reduction in services if that counts ??

[Non-Believer]

With Greenhow out of the way there might be one less obstacle to implementing change though? This could be the opportunity to get things rolling for the better.

"Government has grown too big and too unwieldy" (from AC) sounds as though it might be the precursor for some much needed addressing of matters.

[Newsdesk]

12 minutes ago, Non-Believer said:

"Government has grown too big and too unwieldy" (from AC) sounds as though it might be the precursor for some much needed addressing of matters.

At the top of the housing market Cannan should really be having a big push so a lot of the English ones can be pushed out and then sell up and piss off back to where they came from so they don’t appear in the unemployment stats. A lot of the reason many haven’t gone back already is that property in the higher end bracket beloved of a lot of our public sectors great and good has been sticking for years before the pandemic ended. He needs to give them a push now while they can still sell up. 

[Wavey Davey]

On 5/21/2022 at 3:36 AM, Roger Mexico said:

 

On 5/21/2022 at 3:36 AM, Roger Mexico said:

This may be linked to a rumour I saw somewhere that Cannan, Lord-Brennan and Poole-Wilson had been seen going into Government Buildings on Sunday.  The interesting thing would be that no one from either HR or the AG's Office appears to be involved, maybe neither could be trusted not to leak to Greenhow.   Or, judging from what we've seen from the recent tribunal, do a remotely competent job.

But Poole-Wilson is also a solicitor who has worked most of her life in employment law, so she might have been there to provide experience and make sure everything was watertight.  Effectively this was a coup against the most powerful person in government.

I’ve heard the same from a few sources now. I really do hope it’s true that Cannan is happy to bypass the Government HR people and just turn up and slam a letter on people and tell them they’re going. He has a HR/recruitment background so he will have seen it done many times in the commercial world. He’s probably even had to do it for clients previously. And as you say JP-W has worked in employment law at a high level.

if that’s what they have done then they shouldn’t stop there and there’s a whole load of them that need doing. It would send out a very strong message to the rest and I can’t see most voters objecting. In fact I’d think that 99% of the taxpaying public would support a bit of a Night of the Long-knives to get ride of all the wasters.  

Edited May 22, 2022 by Wavey Davey
Strange formatting

[Non-Believer]

I thought about AC's statement of a few weeks back saying he was happy with Govt headcount with no plans to review it; then his statement during the debate on Tuesday last that Govt had "grown too big and too unwieldy".

Perhaps one could wonder if his initial statement was to wrongfoot Greenhow and the CS and lull them into a false sense of security in advance of the axe?

[Bandits]

29 minutes ago, Non-Believer said:

I thought about AC's statement of a few weeks back saying he was happy with Govt headcount with no plans to review it; then his statement during the debate on Tuesday last that Govt had "grown too big and too unwieldy".

They completely stiffed him over SAVE if you remember. After all those high hopes all the ‘savings’ identified actually involved spending more money. It was a low water mark for his time in Treasury so maybe he’s now getting his own back? 

[Ham_N_Eggs]

44 minutes ago, Non-Believer said:

I thought about AC's statement of a few weeks back saying he was happy with Govt headcount with no plans to review it; then his statement during the debate on Tuesday last that Govt had "grown too big and too unwieldy".

Perhaps one could wonder if his initial statement was to wrongfoot Greenhow and the CS and lull them into a false sense of security in advance of the axe?

The civil service write his speaking notes so probably not.

[code99]

Following the initial report of the Tribunal, one cannot help but to conclude that H Ewart (in Will Greenhow’s department) is either lazy or incompetent or both. I remember from the earlier days in the pandemic how dismissive she was of Dr Glover’s expertise, possibly because she herself did not have nous to properly evaluate/ understand Dr Glover’s scientifically based contributions. The only thing HE was seemingly good at was parroting the Public Health of England’s advice. If we have learnt anything from the Covid-pandemic, it is that when it comes to a public health crisis, the Island is going to follow the UK. If the UK did not purchase vaccines the IOM would not have vaccinated its population, etc. If this is really the case, then why do we need a highly paid, but for all practical purposes, symbolic role of ‘IOM Public Health Director’? It seems to me that all we need is a liason officer with PHE, who could be working within Manx Care and could be paid a fraction of HE’s annual salary.

Over time, many services to the Island’s residents have declined, including those services that make the IOM ‘a nice place to live’, from a quality-of-life perspective. E.g., most school kids’ morning swimming sessions at the NSC have been cancelled (apparently the Department for Education can no longer afford these basics!), and the funding for the Wildlife Park is under threat. At the same time, the IOMG persists with daft projects that have only limited support in the community – the most obvious case being the horse trams on Douglas Prom. Allegedly, people are leaving the Island due to our sub-standard medical services. Soon, I suspect some parents will be leaving due to our sub-standard education.

As much as Will Greenhow’s departure looks like a positive move, overall, we cannot hold unelected CS/PS to account. It is the IOMG’s responsibility to get a grip on things and to lead/ manage a public service that provides residents with the services they need. Our current political system does not provide any meaningful means of holding the government to account and/or to scrutinise its policies. It is clear that there is no public appetite on the Island for the party-based political system. Hence, other alternatives must be considered, such as backbenchers forming a ‘shadow government’ with their own leader and spokespersons. Admittedly, the coalition of independent backbenchers would not be nearly as strong and reliable as a formal ‘opposition’, but anything is better than what we have now. For the (future) good of us all, holding public PAC hearings is helpful, but something much more substantial needs to be done.           

[craggy_steve]

1 hour ago, code99 said:

Allegedly, people are leaving the Island due to our sub-standard medical services.

Certainly this was a consideration for my wife and me. No disrespect to the medical professionals on the island, but the accessibility and responsiveness of the health service within which they operate seems to have significantly deteriorated over the past decade.

[forestboy]

24 minutes ago, craggy_steve said:

Certainly this was a consideration for my wife and me. No disrespect to the medical professionals on the island, but the accessibility and responsiveness of the health service within which they operate seems to have significantly deteriorated over the past decade.

Well I’ve complete satisfaction for various services provided including dental, GP, podiatrist, urologist and orthopedic. 

[Roger Mexico]

1 hour ago, code99 said:

E.g., most school kids’ morning swimming sessions at the NSC have been cancelled (apparently the Department for Education can no longer afford these basics!),

Slight de-rail here, but really??  So one part of DESC can't afford to 'pay' another part of DESC.  No doubt leading to more subsidy having to go to the NEC from the Treasury.  So there will be no reduction in cost to the taxpayers, but their children now won't have swimming lessons.  Still some civil servant will be patting themself on the back over how much money they've 'saved'.

I know @Julie Edge (Onchan) is only too aware of how malfunctioning this Department has been, but this sort of attitude needs sorting out.

[SleepyJoe]

The impression received - rightly or wrongly - is that CS/PS jobs & pensions are being put ahead of services to the paying public

Edited May 23, 2022 by SleepyJoe

[Non-Believer]

4 minutes ago, SleepyJoe said:

The impression received - rightly or wrongly - is that CS/PS jobs & pensions are being put ahead of services to the paying public

Just the "impression"...?