Banana Republic

We're now the sort of country where scores of people can die in a fire because corners were cut on safety. Reports into alleged foreign (i.e. Russian) intervention in our elections are buried (of course there's nothing to hide). Political advisors to the PM are allowed to flout government set rules restricting movement during a pandemic*, and now the most senior civil servant of the country is forced out (with a nice tasty bung) with his job being split and half of it (as National Security Advisor no less) given to a SPAD (Special Advisor - a political appointee). And public procurement contracts are awarded to political cronies without a hint of due process being applied. Oh and we’re now regarded as a Covid19 high risk country (witness the restrictions placed on British members of F1 teams for the Hungarian Grand Prix).

The travelling political advisor is now being let loose on the Ministry of Defence. Now I'm not a big fan of the MOD, but I think if Cumming-and-Going performs his magic, expect massive disruption with no discernible benefit to the defence of the Realm. Well done Mr Putin! Your plan is coming together nicely.

Now the following is worth a read. I get the ‘emergency argument’, we can skip the EU procurement regs on advertising,  but in an emergency you don’t rely on companies who have no expertise or assets to deliver what you need. Public procurement departments will have a lot of information on qualified firms from their previous pre-qualification exercises/RFIs or whatever is the preferred term. Running tenders is also a relatively quick process in the 21st century so there is absolutely no excuse.

https://amp.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/jul/15/coronavirus-contracts-government-transparency-pandemic?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Tweet&__twitter_impression=true

Stands back in expectation of wails that this is all anti-Brexit propaganda.

* I'm still VERY angry about this. Many people have died, not just of Covid-19, without any relatives by their bedside. Many more have not been allowed to hold proper funerals let alone gather afterwards to send the beloved deceased off in the traditional fashion. All this was perfectly tolerable, if disappointing, because we all recognised the need to minimise contact. That's when we thought we were all in it together. 

PS I keep having to add more and more to this. I’ve just read that the Conservative MP who was elected chair of the Intelligence and Security Committee, in opposition to the PM’s preferred candidate, and serial ministerial cock-up artist, Chris Grayling, has lost the party whip**. This is the committee which will decide whether or not the report on alleged Russian interference in elections should be published. Obviously the two things are totally unconnected.

** I.e. kicked out of the party.