It's been quite a while since I received a press release from Government that made me laugh out loud but they have at last delivered. The release (yesterday)is from the Department for International Development and has the banner headline of "New report identifies DFID as 'development world leader'".
The press release goes on with tubthumping quotes from the Secretary of State, Douglas Alexander, and self-congratulatory wanking from the Civil Service Permanent Secretary, Nemat Shafik. Now.... who do you think wrote this report that identified the Government as bloody marvellous and leading the world?
Yes! That's absolutely right chicken! The Government wrote this report. Its part of a cross-government 'capabilty review' via the Cabinet Office and Civil Service. What we have here is a tidy bit of spin where its not until the 'Notes to Editors' section that it becomes clear that its report praising the Government, written by the Government, for the Government.
Most amusingly Douglas Alexander says at the end that the report proves that taxpayers money isn't being wasted by DFID. Seemingly putting out a press release saying you've reviewed things and decided you're the best in the world isn't a waste of money these days.
6 comments:
You just can't make it up, can you?
Oh, wait....
With this lot paranoia and suspicion are the only ways to go, dammit!
Someone in DFiD is obviously worried their budget is going to be cut. Good.
I'm a Gurkha Welfare Trust Committe member, and DFID just cut the grant for water projects in Nepal to zero - a project that's been shared with GWT for years. GWT, being an honourable lot, will continue with the project and fund the half that DFID has now dropped. That's how to be a world leader.
Ha ha ha! Is this the obligatory April Fools story? It's certainly more preposterous than the speed limits for the peregrinating elderly one!
Oh.
Sadly not. The press release is from yesterday :(
It may well be true. The amount ofmy money that has gone abroad over the last "Phew" years has been phenomenol.
No other country would stand for it, So Cyclops and co. may be the best.
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