Cummings Breaks the Rules.

[Javert]

Not so:



Special advisers are temporary civil servants appointed in accordance with Part 1 of the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010. Special advisers are bound by the standards of integrity and honesty required of all civil servants as set out in the Civil Service Code. However, they are exempt from the general requirement that civil servants should be appointed on merit and behave with impartiality and objectivity, or that they need to retain the confidence of future governments of a different political complexion. They are otherwise required to conduct themselves in accordance with the Civil Service Code, attached at Annex A.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/832599/201612_Code_of_Conduct_for_Special_Advisers.pdf">https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/832599/201612_Code_of_Conduct_for_Special_Advisers.pdf

 

The seven principles also apply to temporary civil servants...

I stand corrected  :hattip

[patman post]

Quarantine article by Dominic Cummings' wife reported to regulator



Public complain to Ipso about Mary Wakefield's Spectator column describing 'emerging into London lockdown'



https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/may/28/quarantine-article-by-dominic-cummings-wife-reported-to-regulator">https://www.theguardian.com/politics/20 ... -regulator">https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/may/28/quarantine-article-by-dominic-cummings-wife-reported-to-regulator



The Speccy isn't exactly known for its dedication to journalistic integrity, but this certainly is funny.



"Wakefield herself is known to have driven: the award-winning travel writing piece that helped her get the Spectator job describes her driving across Texas."



 

Boris Johnson was editor of the Spectator for nearly a decade from 1999. In 2004, he published an editorial suggesting that Liverpudlians were "hooked on grief" over the Hillsborough disaster and partly blaming the tragedy on drunken fans. It wasn't his first time inventing quotes and reporting lies as truth...

[Borg Refinery]

Quarantine article by Dominic Cummings' wife reported to regulator



Public complain to Ipso about Mary Wakefield's Spectator column describing 'emerging into London lockdown'



https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/may/28/quarantine-article-by-dominic-cummings-wife-reported-to-regulator">https://www.theguardian.com/politics/20 ... -regulator">https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/may/28/quarantine-article-by-dominic-cummings-wife-reported-to-regulator



The Speccy isn't exactly known for its dedication to journalistic integrity, but this certainly is funny.



"Wakefield herself is known to have driven: the award-winning travel writing piece that helped her get the Spectator job describes her driving across Texas."



 

[patman post]

LOL - you've given Dom another loophole.  Arguably he doesn't fall into any of the list at the beginning of your post, which is actually probably part of the issue.

Not so:



Special advisers are temporary civil servants appointed in accordance with Part 1 of the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010. Special advisers are bound by the standards of integrity and honesty required of all civil servants as set out in the Civil Service Code. However, they are exempt from the general requirement that civil servants should be appointed on merit and behave with impartiality and objectivity, or that they need to retain the confidence of future governments of a different political complexion. They are otherwise required to conduct themselves in accordance with the Civil Service Code, attached at Annex A.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/832599/201612_Code_of_Conduct_for_Special_Advisers.pdf">https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/832599/201612_Code_of_Conduct_for_Special_Advisers.pdf

 

The seven principles also apply to temporary civil servants...

[B0ycey]

I think we are dragging this whole thing further off topic Boycey. I was going to start a new thread with Javerts post, but in the end I decided against it. But it seems this class/elitism subject won't die.



I think it needs its own thread

Indeed. But every thread in every forum sooner or later goes off topic so I wouldn't worry about that as you would have to send 90% of the posts made on here to the tower. My post was merely a response to something you said. You don't have to feel the need to reply. But you already know why there is a class distinction in society  (and I am not talking about snobbery but elitism), even if you are not aware why that came about or why it is maintained.

[DeppityDawg]

I think we are dragging this whole thing further off topic Boycey. I was going to start a new thread with Javerts post, but in the end I decided against it. But it seems this class/elitism subject won't die.



I think it needs its own thread

[B0ycey]

Marx? No thanks. But class distinction, it's still there. There's a post further back that unwittingly mocks itself, eg "class is just a way to 'other' people", along the lines of "well working class people are just reverse snobs". It's something only a middle class person could ever have written. Because sure, I see people say things like "I went to a shite secondary modern school and grew up in a council house on a sink estate so I'm better than you" all the time  :roll:



Privilege is largely what defines people's lives. It doesn't always follow that it gives you a head start, but its broadly true. Had Boris not been born to privilege and had the benefit of the best education money can buy, he could have been just another unremarkable overweight kid navigating his way through a state school where sadly learning to fight was probably a better idea than learning algebra.



No one ever took communism seriously in this country. The biggest political change in my lifetime anyway, has been the Labour party being taken over by the middle classes.

Nobody has taken Communism seriously because ultimately Capitalism has built the West. There is nothing to suggest that Adams was wrong. Even Gorbachev tried to bring in Perestroika because there are market forces (invisible hand) that work better in a libertarian society than state control within free enterprise. But that doesn't mean society that you know is fair or even sustainable. Especially on a society built on huge debt.



Nonetheless what determines class better than private property? It is your rent that is your biggest expense, and it is an expense that the landowner doesn't have and is also an expense he earns off you (surplus value). Not to mention surplus labor in the products you make for someone else. Donald Trump doesn't get rich from the effort and labor he puts in. He earns his wealth from the effort and labor his employees put in. If you are a worker, you are being exploited by your employer. But because the West is exploiting the third world, you do not see that you are being exploited because your needs are being taken care of despite the wealth you make for others. See you have mentioned this to some extent before. So I know you know this. More than half the world are classed as in poverty and over 1bn are in extreme poverty because the West exploit their labor for a very low price in return so we can buy cheap Nikes in order to keep the proletariat happy and as such maintain the status quo. Also The top 1% have more wealth than the rest of the world put altogether. So although you might not care about Marx, deep down you know he is right whether it is in your interest to accept that truth or not. And perhaps only hardship, like what happened historically in Russia and France can ever result in radical change in the economic model whereas they became republics we might become socialists. Whigh again was something Marx brought up.

[Javert]

I simply don't agree that sacking him is justified in the circumstances. It's overkill. Those driving this have their own agenda and goodness me the lemmings are falling for it. They won't be satisfied, their determination to find something, anything, to damage the government over-rides common sense.

Firstly, I partly agree - as I've posted elsewhere, from the beginning of the lock down, breaches should not have been a sacking offence they should have resulted in a telling off and then a fine if needed.  



However once the precedent was set that officials in high profile positions should resign if caught breaking the lock down, it needs to be consistent.



As I've also said - like Watergate, it's not the mistake it's the cover up that's the bigger issue.



He made a mistake - if he had owned up and owned it and apologised at the time, it wouldn't have been nearly as big a deal.



However

- He has not admitted that he made a breach even though his own explanation clearly constitutes a breach of the guidelines.  It's black and white, especially the Barnard Castle trip which even by his own explanation is a clear breach not just of the guideance, but arguably of the law.  In spite of this, he claims he didn't breach anything and did nothing wrong.

- He then enlisted his wife in an elaborate cover up operation before it all came out.

- Newspapers repeatedly asked "Where is Dominic Cummings located right now" during this entire time - this story didn't just come up last week - the Guardian and Mirror have been asking where he was since late March and received "no comment".  If Downing Street thought he was in London, why were they saying "no comment"?

- He then enlisted the entire UK cabinet in a further cover up once the story was published, and brought the entire UK into disrepute by making cabinet ministers go on TV and defend lies that even Michael Gove actually couldn't bring himself to say.

- He has not been told off or fined - in fact, he has been congratulated on his ingenuity and brilliance by the UK Prime Minister, and we the people are told that we don't love our kids as much as Dom because we were stupid enough to stay at home when we were in worse situations than him.



This is what is really damaging - it shows them up as Elitist, superior, and laughing at the UK plebs who didn't realise they could just "bend" the rules using loopholes.



Anyway - probably the best short summary I saw was:



So this guy, took his wife and young son out for a drive

to test his eyes,!

and he gives advice to the British government?

And the Britsh government listen?

[Javert]

There are seven principles of public life apply to anyone who works as a public office-holder. This includes people who are elected or appointed to public office, nationally and locally, and all people appointed to work in:



    the civil service

    local government

    the police

    the courts and probation services

    non-departmental public bodies

    health, education, social and care services



The principles also apply to all those in other sectors that deliver public services.



1. Selflessness

Holders of public office should act solely in terms of the public interest.



2. Integrity

Holders of public office must avoid placing themselves under any obligation to people or organisations that might try inappropriately to influence them in their work. They should not act or take decisions in order to gain financial or other material benefits for themselves, their family, or their friends. They must declare and resolve any interests and relationships.



3. Objectivity

Holders of public office must act and take decisions impartially, fairly and on merit, using the best evidence and without discrimination or bias.



4. Accountability

Holders of public office are accountable to the public for their decisions and actions and must submit themselves to the scrutiny necessary to ensure this.



5. Openness

Holders of public office should act and take decisions in an open and transparent manner. Information should not be withheld from the public unless there are clear and lawful reasons for so doing.



6. Honesty

Holders of public office should be truthful.



7. Leadership

Holders of public office should exhibit these principles in their own behaviour. They should actively promote and robustly support the principles and be willing to challenge poor behaviour wherever it occurs.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-7-principles-of-public-life">https://www.gov.uk/government/publicati ... ublic-life">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-7-principles-of-public-life

LOL - you've given Dom another loophole.  Arguably he doesn't fall into any of the list at the beginning of your post, which is actually probably part of the issue.

[papasmurf]

 The biggest political change in my lifetime anyway, has been the Labour party being taken over by the middle classes.

Quite. Few Labour MPs have ever actually worked for a living, (mind you that applies to all MPs not just Labour.)

[DeppityDawg]

There is a specter haunting this forum - the specter of Communism.



You are a user who is fully aware of class distinction more than most - along with its pitfalls. Search your feelings. You know Marx is right.

Marx? No thanks. But class distinction, it's still there. There's a post further back that unwittingly mocks itself, eg "class is just a way to 'other' people", along the lines of "well working class people are just reverse snobs". It's something only a middle class person could ever have written. Because sure, I see people say things like "I went to a shite secondary modern school and grew up in a council house on a sink estate so I'm better than you" all the time  :roll:



Privilege is largely what defines people's lives. It doesn't always follow that it gives you a head start, but its broadly true. Had Boris not been born to privilege and had the benefit of the best education money can buy, he could have been just another unremarkable overweight kid navigating his way through a state school where sadly learning to fight was probably a better idea than learning algebra.



No one ever took communism seriously in this country. The biggest political change in my lifetime anyway, has been the Labour party being taken over by the middle classes.

[Borchester]

I remember coming back from Cyprus mid 80s, getting diverted into Greenham Common because of fog at Brize. Feck me, it made me think hey, I'll take 3rd Shock Army over the German border any day after seeing the clip of that mass of unwashed humanity outside the base. I don't know if you can remember Giant Haystacks, but think that in a kaftan and you get the general idea  ::  ::  ::

You reckon you had it tough? All you had to do was shoot some of them. I ended up shagging a few.



I still wake up screaming.

[Borchester]

Groucho, Harpo, Chico, Gummo, or Zeppo?

 ::  ::

[Borg Refinery]

Groucho, Harpo, Chico, Gummo, or Zeppo?

https://ibb.co/nR9mdS1">

[papasmurf]

 You know Marx is right.

 Groucho, Harpo, Chico, Gummo, or Zeppo?