I wonder ... #
Posted Monday 29th October 2007 12:51 GMT
... if this guy will have a chauffeur driven car?
Posted Monday 29th October 2007 12:51 GMT
We have a Minister for Health....
The NHS is on its knees...
We have a Minister for Defence
Admittedly, he's only part-time, but our armed forces are in chaos...
We have a Minister for Transport...
Look at our Roads & Railways...
So what will this newly-appointed failed Scottish Barrister achieve?
Posted Monday 29th October 2007 12:51 GMT
... if this guy will have a chauffeur driven car?
Posted Monday 29th October 2007 14:33 GMT
I entirely share your sentiments, but members of the Scottish bar are known as 'advocates' (though no doubt there are Scottish members of the English bar - I think I'd better stop now ...)
</pedant>
Posted Monday 29th October 2007 14:40 GMT
There's no such thing as a Scottish barrister.
(they're called advocates)
Dunno who the drone was that wrote the committee report, but if anyone wants to leak his whereabouts to the Plain English Campaign they'd be doing everyone a favour.
Posted Monday 29th October 2007 15:03 GMT
Thanks for your corrections, Chris and Teapot:
I have very rarely heard the term "advocate" without the term "Devil" being in extreme juxtaposition.
Can't be a coincidence, surely?
Posted Monday 29th October 2007 15:07 GMT
In essence, as things are now if a politician is concerned about climate change he talks about it in parliament. Throw in a climate change minister and suddenly the first course of action is to raise the issue with the minister, then to talk about it in parliament and be referred to a report due out from the minister real soon now and then wait until his principles finally get tired.
Posted Monday 29th October 2007 15:57 GMT
Then we'll have another minister with a shiny new logo and equally shiny spindoctor ready to run up their expense account.
Between working for various Russian gas companies, the new Minister for Hot Air will be able to engage in high-season fact-finding trips to exotic foreign beach resorts (alongside the foreign secretary), sign European treaties promoting low-carbon langoustine (alongside the European minister), hold multimedia summits in some of England's finest golf resorts (alongside the environment secretary) and host charity save the planet jetsetting concerts (alongside Ant and Dec).
Posted Monday 29th October 2007 16:12 GMT
A new minister will surely need a new department and the new department will surely need to create new rules, directives, laws, etc. to justify its existence. Ah, more Jobs For The Boys (of whatever sex) and more burden for the taxpaying donkeys of the UK.
Oh, I'm all for it really. After all, if it keeps a few more incompetents off the job market then I'm happy for them. But, before we go ahead and bring in the Catalan architect to design the new Ministry building, could I request that the government do just a few teensy other things first? Like immigration laws that are in the interests of British citizens, police forces that actually police, schools that actually teach, transport infrastructure that actually transports efficiently and, let's see, what else? Oh yeah, that one! Could we please ask our expenses-gorged MP's to get their noses out of the trough for just a week or two? Just to try it, y'know?