Croniizm in Britn z rampnt n gz unpuniśt. W’r trnñ intu a bnana rpublic
(Transcription of a Guardian article of 22 February 2021)
Qsćṇbl Covid contracts, doji apôntmnts, tuʈlis woćdogz. Fevrz t frendz z nǎ ɖ guvnmnt’s modus operandi
Poli Tônbi, 22 Febrri 2021
Ɖ sumz r so vast, ɖ sīcṛsi so śocñ, ɖt “ćumocṛsi” dz’nt bgin t capćr ẃt Britn hz bcm – reḍḷnt az w r v bnana rpublics, ɖ Ruśn oḷgarci n feld stets. Lost z Britn’z slf-imij az ɖ bolr-hatd bīcn v sivic recttyd, az ǎr rstẃl Rolz-Rôs sivl srvis gz ɖ we v, wel, Rolz-Rôs, no longr a Britiś-ǒnd carcumṗni.
Ɖ Gd Lw Project, ɖ admṛbl nt-fr-profit public clenzr, last wīc pruvd in ɖ hî cort ɖt ɖ guvnmnt hd brīćt ẃt ɖ juj cōld ɖ “vîtl public fuñśn” v trnspaṛnsi ovr “vast qonttiz” v taxpeyrz’ muni. A VIP fast len fr pṛtctiv-iqipmnt contracts md ɖ contacts v ministrz, MPz, pirz n ofiślz 10 tîmz mor lîcli t win contracts. PPI prîsz scîrocitd: īvn bodibagz wr biyñ ćarjd at 14 tîmz ɖer prīvịs cost. Ɖ Gd Lw Project’s dmandz fr pubḷceśn v ɖoz fevrd s’playrz, ɖer VIP sponsrz n prîsz peid hv bn dnaid so far.
Ẃ ɖ sīcṛsi? Ɖ Gardịn hz olrdi rvild ɖt ɖ medicl reğletr z invstgetñ Alix Bōrn, hlʈ secṛtri Mát Hancoc’s xnebr, hu wún £30m v wrc pṛdysñ medicl vaylz, dspt hvñ no xpirịns in ɖ fīld.
In ɖ panic ovr emti PPI ślvz in hospitlz n cerhomz, ɖt daś t pṛkr mt b fgivn wr it nt ɖt fevrz t frendz z ɖ evride modus operandi fr Boris Jonsn. Bt bfr a liṭni v hiz sivic śem, pōz hir t injô ɖs, ɖ fōrwrd h rout t ɖ miṇstirịl cod: “Ɖr mst b no bŭliyñ n no haṛsmnt; no līcñ; no brīć v c’lectiv rsponsbiḷti. No msys v taxpeyr muni n no acćl or psivd conflicts v inṭrest. Ɖ preśs prínsiplz v public lîf inśrînd in ɖs dokmnt – integṛti, objctivti, acǎntbiḷti, trnspaṛnsi, oṇsti n līdrśp in ɖ public inṭrest – mst b onrd at ol tîmz; az mst ɖ p’liticl imparśiaḷti v ǎr mć admîrd sivl srvis.” Ha!
Alix Aḷn flt it imposbl t ste on az ɖ prim̦inistr’z ofiśl advîzr on ɖt cod, aftr hiz fîndñ agnst ɖ homsecṛtri, Priti Ptel, fr bŭliyñ wz rjctd. Nr cd Joṇʈn Jǒnz rmen az prṃnnt secṛtri t ɖ guvnmnt līgl dpartmnt ẃl Jonsn brouc inṭnaśnl lw wɖ ɖ intrnl-marcit bil. Oltgɖr, undr Jonsn six prṃnnt secṛtriz hv gn – nt so prṃnnt in ɖs reźīm.
Ɖ Gd Lw Project nǎ olso sīcs a jdiśl rvy intu ɖ Gardịn’z reṿleśn v a £564,000 contract fr opińnpoulñ, gvn wɖt tndr t Doṃnic Cumñz’ clos ćum Rećl Wlf, hu corout ɖ 2019 Tori parti maṇfsto. Ẃt an îṛni ɖt in hr Dǎnñ Strīt dez ś pland fr ol sivl srvnts t fes constnt xamz t gard agnst a culćr ẃr “evrwn rîzz t ɖer pziśn v incompitns”. Yt ś wz pt t no tst, nt īvn besic tnḍrñ fr a fat contract.
Ɖ Súnde Tîmz rvilz ɖt Lord Udni-Listr, az depyti mẹr v Lundn undr Jonsn, hlpt apruv £4bn v proṗtiscīmz fr dveḷprz – n wɖn munʈs v līvñ ofis wnt on t wrc fr ɖm. Az Dǎnñ Strīt stṛtījic advîzr last yir, h steid on ɖer pêrolz, ɖo ɖs wz in cmplayns wɖ codz v conduct.
In a blast at Tōriz “rîf wɖ conflicts v inṭrest”, Rećl Rīvz, ɖ śado cabiṇt-ofis ministr, md a “sác Srco” plej ɖt Lebr wd rtrn prîṿt contracts t ɖ public sectr. Yt it sīmz nʈñ śemz ɖs guvnmnt. Ɖ Naśnl Ōdit Ofis z a fîn insttyśn fr ćecñ on fnanśl integṛti n valy fr muni. Bt, ɖo it faund ɖt biznis ǒnrz wɖ p’liticl tîz t ɖ Tōriz wr gvn hî-prîoṛti steṭs ovr pandemic contracts, it hz no mśīṇri t fors a guvnmnt ɖt dz’nt gv a dám t act on ɖz fîndñz. Ẃć līvz ɖ public-spiṛtd crǎdfundrz v ɖ Gd Lw Project az a last stand agnst c’lapsñ sivic integṛti. Olɖo, az Hancoc tld ɖ BBC’z Andru Mar, h dz’nt īvn cer ɖt h’z brocn ɖ lw.
Ɖ cmiśnr fr public apôntmnts, Pītr Ridél, ol tù rerli mcs public protests, bt rīsntli h rouz p agnst “unreğletd apôntmnts”, sć az ɖt v Tori pir Dîdo Hardñ t hed ɖ ceotic tst-n-tres program. Last wīc ɖ hlʈ dpartmnt’s ǒn evidns śoud ɖ £22bn ś hz spent hd hd a “reḷtivli smōl” ifct. Ridél olso pṛtstd agnst stact inṭvy panlz: utrli unqoḷfaid xTori MP Jemz Ẃartn wz apôntd hed v ɖ Ofis fr Stydnts bî a s’lex́npanl dvôd v hayr-edyceśn xprts.
For nonixektiv d’rectrz apôntd az “indpndnts” t oṿsi Mîcl Gov’z Cabiṇt Ofis r ol Gov alîz, includñ Gīẓla Stywt v hiz Vot Līv clan. Acordñ t a rīsnt srve, mor ɖn haf v ol dīpartmntl-bōrd apôntmnts, far fṛm biyñ indipndnt ǎtsîdrz, r speśl advîzrz n clos p’liticl alîz.
Ridél lobd a wornñ at brīfñz ɖt ɖ Ofcom ćer wl g t ɖ formr Meil editr-in-ćīf Pōl Dêcr, a man rebidli bayst agnst ɖ BBC, jujz, Yṛp n mîgṛnts, t nem jst a fy. Ćanslr Riśi Sŭnac’s gd ćum, ɖ Tori donr Rićd Śarp, wz md BBC ćer. Ẃ no invstgeśn intu cḿṇtizsecṛtri Roḅt Jenric’s impropr iniśl inṭvnśn t hlp Tori donr Rićd Dezmnd avôd tax ovr a £1bn planñbid? Nt onli ɖs, bt pacñ ɖ Lordz wɖ donrz z ɖ Putinesc ny norml.
Nt sins ɖ 1853 Norʈcot-Tṛvełn sivl srvis rformz hz a guvnmnt so impydntli n dfayntli ignord apôntmntsprínsiplz. Hd Lebr cmitd eni v ɖz ǎtrejz, ɖ Tori pres wd hv hǎndd it t deʈ. Rmembr Jenifr Arcuri, Jonsn’z “clos frend”, gvn £100,000 fṛm hiz Lundn meṛl fund n invîtd on ptnṣ́li lūcṛtiv tredmiśnz? Ɖ Indipndnt Ofis fr P’līs Conduct faund ɖt ɖ ofisrz mcñ dsiźnz on sponsrśp n tred miśnz ń v ɖs rleśnśp, “n ɖs inflụnst ɖer dsiźn-mcñ”. Imajin f ɖt wr Cir Starmr.
Clīn dmocṛsiz r dfînd bî hǎ wel ɖe gard agnst ɖer līdrz feṿrñ faṃli n frendz. Bt ɖ esns v ćumocṛsi runz far dīpr. Ppl instñtivli apônt ɖer ǒn cnd: “merit” tndz t b spotd onli in ɖoz hu tōc, ʈnc n b’liv lîc ɖoz dwñ ɖ ćuzñ. In a wîld blog, Doṃnic Cumñz pritndd t brec ǎt v ɖs stretjacit, cōlñ fr “sūpr-talntd wirdoz” wɖ “jenyin cogṇtiv dvrṣti”. Bt no, hiz ramḅlñ job ad rqîrd īc̣nomics grajụts wɖ “an ǎtstandñ record at a gret yṇvrṣti”: h wz a prins amñ trîbl ćum’pôntrz.
Brecñ ɖ spirit v fevṛtizm z f’rośsli hard: ẃn I wz at ɖ BBC, a vałnt atmt wz md t rcrūt rw taḷnt ǎtsd top grajụts wɖ maṇkrd hinṭlandz. Adz, līflits n noṭsz wr postd in herdresrz, pubz, McDoṇld’z, moscs, tmplz n on busz: no nem, edyceśn or xpirịns, jst rait t s wɖ yr program îdīaz. Ʈǎzndz aplaid.
Ẃn ɖz hd bn ẃitld dǎn t 30, ɖ dis’pôntd s’lectrz faund ɖe hd mnli pict îdnticl top grajụt tîps. Bî instñt, unconśsli, ɖe ćouz ɖ cnd hu rout lîc ɖm, ʈt lîc ɖm. Unconśs-bays corsz hlp s unḍstand inbilt preɉdisz, bt iradcetñ it fṛm dīp wɖn z far hardr.
Dy proses in public apôntmnts matrz nt jst fr gd guvnmnt, bt bcz it sets a bnćmarc v fer implômnt. Neṗtizm stncs az badli az awordñ contracts t VIP palz: gloriyñ in bʈ, ɖ guvnmnt, rotñ fṛm ɖ hed, spredz ɖ stenć v c’rupśn ʈru evrʈñ it tućz.
• Poli Tônbi z a Gardịn coḷmnist
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