What is this rhetoric concerning Rees-Mogg v civil service all about?

[Calafsidentity]

Am I missing something obvious? What's at the heart of it I mean? Can anyone who is a regular on the political threads, or anyone "in the know" , kindly explain to me what is going on please?

I always get anxious when there is talk of governmental interference with the civil service as they are all we have to rely on, when, as now, the elected government of the day is less than trustworthy and/ or incompetent.

Is it, as a recent Independent article implies, a ploy to distract the public from the fact that poor investment and low level resources, not to mention Covid plus Brexit, lie at the heart of most of the problems associated with passport, tax, DVLA delays, the prison service, asylum claims, and I imagine the number of civil servants required in the MoD has risen since Putin invaded Ukraine?

Or is it the fact that Rees-Smugg can't make a success of his post- Brexit promoting role simply because the reality is that Brexit is proving to be a disaster in terms of the economy and trade, so he is making headlines about something else?

Or is it, most worryingly for me, given Boris's lack of respect for the UK's system of government, and of the UK constitution as a whole, how he almost casually prorogued parliament, how he lies in the HofC, is there something more sinister going on?

[I am a long-term poster, interested in UK and EU politics, not a journo.]

Maybe I have been lucky but I really do find the comments about 'dead wood' etc really offensive! From my experience all surplus jobs were cut years ago!

It used to be we were paid less because we had more work life balance, but in my Dept that is long gone!
I work long hours, no lunch, I've cancelled leave to meet ridiculous deadlines.

He;s probably also 1. justifying his own job 2. trying to stand out and be bold now the the ship is sinking and Rishi has drowned and Boris is floundering maybe he's hoping he'll be the saviour

@leotardrock

Great! Well done you! Unfortunately not my experience, esp with fast streamers who have been overpromoted because they are great at trotting out competencies in interviews and move on a lot. Everyone seems pretty terrified to try actually getting rid of people with crap appraisal scores (lateness by comparison is easy) and just tries to move them.

I agree most CS are dedicated and hard working, which is why it annoys me!

Rees-Mogg has found himself in a position he could never have dreamed of, in sane times.

if he thinks it’s a good thing, I’m against it.

Morescrummy I've not had much to do with the fast streamers - but what dealings I have had haven't been positive - so maybe you are right about them!

I think the intention is to reduce the civil service compensation scheme which is pretty generous at the moment. That requires primary legislation so will take a while. They failed at this the last time they tried. Tricky to intro this session. They have v limited amount of time to change the law and push through a mass redundancy programme before the GE.

it’s silly headlines innit. They might achieve those kind of figures if they did wholesale privatisation of something big. Look how well that worked out for the probation service. You probably pay the people doing the work less but you also have to pay the outsourcing companies shareholders/owners a whacking great profit.

one thing I can absolutely guarantee If that this exercise will save absolutely no money whatsoever and will probably end up costing the taxpayer more.

Completely agree about pointless 'Home for Ukraine ' visas.
Just drop the requirement for a Visa like every other country in Europe.
Just saved the government a mountain of unnecessary work right there.

Agreed!

I also think public option of civil servants is really low atm!

It's low at the best of times but with the Downing St parties everyone thinks we're on cheese & wine & bring a bottle 5 days a week!

But Kendodd that's not the Civil Servants fault - that's Government Policy!

Call me cynical but I think -
Government make massive cuts to civil service and outsource the work to private companies owned by cronies or donors at massively increased costs. Oh, and cronies companies, they'll be shit at doing the job but who cares as long as someone gets rich.

I know.

It’s so cynical, pure Tory dog whistling to distract everyone from their chaotic, corrupt, shameful mess of a government. Of course they can’t stand the civil servants. Always pointing out the reality of the situation to ministers, that they don’t want to hear..

At no point does JRM or Johnson say how the savings made by sacking these people will actually be used to help anyone suffering in the cost of living crisis, which apparently necessitates these cuts.. it’s just depressing.

Didn't they used to send Brexit impact assessments back to civil servants to be rewritten because they were too negative? In other words wanting them to make up stuff.

This is all so disappointing. I’ve just been made a formal offer to join the CS, I’ll be retraining and leaving a industry that I’m quite successful in but is greatly impacting my mental and physical health. I’ve been so excited about the fresh start, hybrid working and just being able to get my head down and do the job and now I’m wondering if it’s worth it

Civil Service is the new EU. Scapegoats for government incompetence.

I think all public sector jobs at the moment are a thankless task as you'll be hammered either by the public for government incompetence, or by the government themselves. This applies whether you work for the NHS, the police, your local authority or the civil service. Morale is low across the board.

The government obsession (i.e. their donors and cronies obsession like the Daily Mail owner) over the war on WFH just compounds it.

@morescrummythanyummy this is the unintended consequence of removing pay increments / pay scales. No pay rises for years, no way to move up in the band so the only way to earn more is to get promoted and promoted until you end up with senior people but without the knowledge or experience to back it up. We definitely need to encourage people spending more time doing sideways moves and getting depth of experience but its so hard when all anyone wants is more money.

Op here - still reading with interest - very much appreciate everyone's input.

It's all a bit bleak isn't it?

I suppose my thoughts are turning now to what can be done?

I understand from reading the news, that some branches of the civil service are planning to strike?

Other than supporting their stance, and being patient about delivery times of passports and driving licences etc, what can an ordinary member of the public do to support the besieged civil service? I suppose voting this government out in May 2024, if not before, is the most important thing? But that seems quite a long time away. Boris (aka the greased piglet) can't possibly last that long can he?

All anyone cares about is working towards their next promotion which in offices basically mean making sure your face fits and being in with the bosses rather than your output, or being able to write the right competency (made up or not) and talk the talk in an interview.

It's basically the Daily Mail running the country at this point anyway. They tell Boris what to say in exchange for support and they've got the Civil Service in their sights.

I’m assuming some of this will be about privatisation. Can sell off the dvla, passport office, etc. get a nice backhander from whatever mate you flog it to and a bunch of shares. 🤷🏻‍♀️

It's basically the Daily Mail running the country at this point anyway. They tell Boris what to say in exchange for support and they've got the Civil Service in their sights

It certainly seems that way 😔. Utterly depressing.

Oh gosh yes, this seems equally plausible. 😞Nice little pay outs for the chumocracy!

what can an ordinary member of the public do to support the besieged civil service

Why don't you send them a card and a tin of Quality Street to thank them for all their hard work. 😂 Never in my life have I heard anyone worrying about the CS! The CS will survive everything, successive govts, economic crashes and nuclear war.