November 13, 2008

Yet another reminder of the largely talentless wankers you have to scrabble in your pocket each month to pay for.

Brilliant.

"None of these new public servants is providing anything most people would remotely consider to be a public service. Local government, in particular, is increasingly a conspiracy against the paying public, extracting ever more taxes in exchange for an ever-worsening level of provision.

"They're more interested in dreaming up exciting new rules, fines and punishments and finding elaborate excuses for not doing what we pay them for - such as emptying the dustbins once a week.

"Only this week, we learned that Guildford Council, in Surrey, is threatening to close down burger vans which don't offer 'healthy options'. What gives them the right to do that? It's none of their damn business what people eat."

And a posted reply to it which, well, says it all:

"Richard,

"Whilst I understand completely the points you make, I am disappointed to see the context in which you refer to Internal Audit as an example (Ref: "Barnet Council, in North London, is desperately seeking a Head of Internal Audit and Ethical Governance, on £80,000 a year, plus the usual perks. How on earth have they managed without one all these years? "). I am not attempting to speak for Barnet Council, but Its worth clarifying that the role of internal audit is to help management identify and manage its risks across all parts of the organisation. I am sure you will agree, especially given the global financial crisis, that helping to create a culture of risk awareness and ensure a professional approach to the management of the many risks facing any given organisation (not just local authorities), is in fact a very worthwhile investment.

- Phil Gray, Communications Director, Institute of Internal Auditors, Clapham, London, 13/11/2008 12:11"

It's like shooting fish in a barrel, admittedly, but very, very entertaining - and even more so if it wasn't at all of our bloody expenses.