Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Pointless legislation....

I'm glad to see that pointless legislative proposals have not been lost since Blair went. Apparently every worker is going to get the right to request time off to train. This is like the right to request flexible working.

This sort of nonsense is the very worst kind of gesture politics and frankly, it is utterly meaningless. You already have that "right" to do this, it's called opening your motuh and having a conversation with your boss. The boss doesn't have to listen, and under Brown's proposals he doesn't have to listen either.

Still, it makes politicians on high slaaries feel like they're actually doing something when in truth they're not.

11 comments:

Bill Quango MP said...

Mr Brown said it again today.. Flexible working is no impediment to business.

He's right, but only because those companies that can make use of skilled people returning to work already have proceedures that allow them to do so, whilst those companies that don't.. well just don't have to bother.

As Dizzy says you now have a 'right' to 'a meeting' to request time to train.
The right you actually have is that your employer MUST agree to hear your views [and take a record of them].

Another big leap forward..
Good luck with that.

Anonymous said...

It's not pointless. There'll have to be another QUANGO or two to supervise it. Any excuse to waste our money is good enough.

John Pickworth said...

I want to comment... but I'm speechless.

Do these people have any idea what the real world even looks like?

Anonymous said...

More red f.....g tape. The employer has to arrange an interview, take notes, and formulate reasons for granting or refusing the request.

The result: Most requests will be refused, for fear of creating a precedent which other employees could exploit.

John pickworth @ 19:59. No, these people don't have any idea what the real world looks like. Their only experience is of large public employers (polytechnics, government departments, etc.,) with bloated HR departments for whom these paper-pushing exercises are meat and drink.

None of them would last a month running a real business.

Anonymous said...

The Guardian's list of Bills includes this

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2008/may/14/labour.gordonbrown

11. Communications data bill. Strengthens powers to monitor people's use of the internet and seizes data to combat terrorism and crime.

It's not mentioned anywhere, that I can see, in the draft speech

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2008/may/14/labour.gordonbrown2

Any idea what this is about?

(Apologies if it's clear from any reports elsewhere...not had time to do further reading)

Anonymous said...

Dizzy,

It may be gesture politics but it is very effective politics. Brown is speaking to the Labour heartlands where it still is a sacrosanct truth that 'the boss' is an old school toff running inflexible working practices, exploiting the poor starving masses.

This gesture I'm sure will pick up several hundred thousand votes, or at the very least save such votes.

Brown may bite his fingernails to the quick in nervousness, but he ain't no fool.

Ed

Letters From A Tory said...

Yet again, people taking responsibility for their own lives gets pushed to one side as Labour try to control our lives even more.

Anonymous said...

I suppose I have the RIGHT to request a Lisbon Referendum and a 10p tax rate too

Anonymous said...

Investors in People must be delighted. A more useless bunch of tossers I've yet to come across.

The Half-Blood Welshman said...

The best bit was where he said he would pass legislation to get rid of bad schools.

If only 'twere that simple, Gordon...

Anonymous said...

From Browns budget speech "a new NHS Reform Bill to continue the change and renewal of the NHS: ... make it more accountable to local people, giving patients real power and control over the service they receive"

Yeah, consult with the people as they impose closure of local NHS units in favour of regional ones ( bigger, better salaries ).
I expect they consulted us about local Post Offices too.

Worse than pointless; more like destructive.