The Labour Party. All discussion here please

[Top Cats Hat 10]

 

Has he got experience of organising a multi billion pound industry? If not, it won't be.

 

That's nonsense.

 

Is the Foreign Secretary a career diplomat?

 

Is the Education Secretary a teacher?

 

Is the Health Secretary a doctor?

 

All he needs to do is make sure the right people are appointed to run them.

[truman 10]

That's nonsense.

 

Is the Foreign Secretary a career diplomat?

 

Is the Education Secretary a teacher?

 

Is the Health Secretary a doctor?

 

All he needs to do is make sure the right people are appointed to run them.

 

And how are those departments doing? From what I've seen lately government can't run government let alone anything else... just an observation..

[Top Cats Hat 10]

And how are those departments doing? From what I've seen lately government can't run government let alone anything else... just an observation..

 

It works well enough in other parts of the world.

 

And to be fair, the last three years have seen the government abrogating all responsibility for domestic matters in order to sort out Brexit.

[truman 10]

It works well enough in other parts of the world.

 

And to be fair, the last three years have seen the government abrogating all responsibility for domestic matters in order to sort out Brexit.

 

It doesn't seem to work here though....and not just for the past few years...I fear that nationalised industries would be used as a political football just as everything else government are responsible for is....

[woodview 10]

It works well enough in other parts of the world.

 

And to be fair, the last three years have seen the government abrogating all responsibility for domestic matters in order to sort out Brexit.

It hasn't worked here, and nothing Corbyn says convinces me that he would be able to make it work this time. It sounds more like a rewind to the 70's. He needs to come up with a solution that works in the modern era.

If not, we are going to sink billions into buying them back, then billions a year subsidising the inefficiency, that certainly doesn't help anyone.

 

---------- Post added 14-11-2018 at 10:22 ----------

 

That's nonsense.

 

Is the Foreign Secretary a career diplomat?

 

Is the Education Secretary a teacher?

 

Is the Health Secretary a doctor?

 

All he needs to do is make sure the right people are appointed to run them.

No, but they should be. Exactly one of the reasons it won't work.

Edited November 14, 2018 by woodview

[alchresearch 214]

I agree with politicians having life experience before managing the department they're in, but it doesn't always work. Estelle Morris (Education - was a teacher), Dr Liam Fox (former doctor).

 

The only one I knew who did have an understanding of his job due to past experience was Hague as Foreign Secretary.

[woodview 10]

I agree with politicians having life experience before managing the department they're in, but it doesn't always work. Estelle Morris (Education - was a teacher), Dr Liam Fox (former doctor).

 

The only one I knew who did have an understanding of his job due to past experience was Hague as Foreign Secretary.

It would be nice if they'd had even some real life experience - eg managing people, organsiations, budgets etc rather than just making their way through the political ranks.

[Jon26 10]

It would be nice if they'd had even some real life experience - eg managing people, organsiations, budgets etc rather than just making their way through the political ranks.

 

I agree Woodview - actually I'd say this should be mandatory. And I also don't mean just working for government departments etc..

[Top Cats Hat 10]

I agree Woodview - actually I'd say this should be mandatory.

 

What nonsense.

 

Who gets to decide what is 'relevant life experience'?

[tinfoilhat 11]

What nonsense.

 

Who gets to decide what is 'relevant life experience'?

 

How are ministers chosen now? It's not based on ability. Anyone dubbed "a rising star" in British politics is down to popularity and how much arse they're prepared to kiss. Chris Grayling has held a couple of big posts. How?

[alchresearch 214]

Some departments are given to ministers in the leaders good books, some bad. Anyone remember how horrible the post of Northern Ireland Secretary was back in the past?

 

You've got a big enough pool of middle aged MPs. Surely its not hard to comb through their CVs to find out who would be best in a department.

[Top Cats Hat 10]

Some departments are given to ministers in the leaders good books, some bad. Anyone remember how horrible the post of Northern Ireland Secretary was back in the past?

 

You've got a big enough pool of middle aged MPs. Surely its not hard to comb through their CVs to find out who would be best in a department.

 

Rightly or wrongly, ministerial appointments are ultimately political appointments. If a Prime Minister has two candidates, one of which is likely to be a better Minister of State for Peanut M&Ms but is a political opponent and the other one has a peanut allergy, hates M&Ms but is a strong supporter of the PM, the political supporter is much more likely to get the job.

 

This is much more likely with a weak Prime Minister who is more concerned with looking over their shoulder than appointing the right person. A strong PM (Thatcher or Blair) has the security to appoint on merit. A good example of this is Theresa May appointing a political supporter as Northern Ireland Secretary who knew so little about Irish politics that she had absolutely no idea that the electorate in the province voted on national lines rather than class lines.