Following on from Iain's post about the way Labour Party activists and/or Trade Unionists miraculously find themselves appointed to all number of positions on quangos and the like, it's interesting that when the Government is questioned on this in parliament it more often than not does it's best to avoid answering.
Usual practice is to say that whoever may have been appointed to body X was done so in accordance with the rules and their backgrounds were published at the time. It's true that background biographies are published, but they rarely point out Party membership as was the case with Postwatch appointments and the BIG Lottery Fund board.
However, that usual practice of responding with disingenuity at best and deceitfulness at worst didn't happen yesterday in Parliament. When the Lib Dem MP, Julia Goldsworthy asked Patricia Hewitt what former MPs that left Parliament in 2005 "have since been appointed to public bodies by her Department" the answer from the Health Minister Rosie Winterton was simply "[t]his information is not available."
Now I'll be the first to admit that I can be rather cynical. But when you start to read through Hansard on a daily basis you begin to notice trends and formulas used for answering specific types of questions, including ones like Julia Goldsworthy's. This response is totally out of ordinary and smacks of outright avoidance leaving a sour taste in the mouth.
5 comments:
Because they are not fucking accountable! They dont work for us, we are there to support them and do what they say. They know best and we have no right to know the answers to these questions.
Dizzy, don't think this is something new under Labour. I seem to remember that th head of the old "opted out schools agency", was the head of an insurance company that I understand made a large donation to Tory Party funds. guess which insurance company had exclusive rights to offer insurance to opted out schools ?
I abhore corruption like this, but Labour learnt it off you lot in the first place.
1: I didn't think it was new under Labour.
2: argumentum ad hominem tu quoque. Nice!
It's very rare to get a straight answer from the government, Des Browne being a recent exception. Blair sometimes does if he feels it'd politically advantageous but Brown? Never as i wrote about here (http://theregalis.blogspot.com/2007/04/hint-of-whiter-than-white.html)
The Trade Unionist in question has been on that committee since time, is in fact the longest serving member, is an effective chair, and I'm surprised at you jumping on Mr Dale's bandwagon of misogyny and sour grapes.
Clearly a sensible appointment, impugning of which and insulting of woman concerned as TU muppet seems rather childish for sensible Dizzy.
But you're right of course about the question avoidance though asking Rita Donaghy's lot may be a better way to go if you want information rather than cheap political points a la Lib Dems.
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