Cummings and goings...

[Mrr T]

Tuna said:

Mrr T said:

Very glad BJ gave him £250k of our money to leave so as to appoint someone with no national security experience.

Rumours are that the civil service contract requires this level of pay out when you have to sack someone.

I would doubt that because it would mean £30k would no longer be tax free.

The story also say most will go into his pension which is most unlikely. As a senior civil servant I am sure his pension pot already exceeds £1m.

Not complaining about the amount just that we have to fund it. Surely if the change was political BJ and team should pay.

[Tuna]

Mrr T said:

Not complaining about the amount just that we have to fund it. Surely if the change was political BJ and team should pay.

You should know that the civil service is never political. But it can be very obstructive.

[eps]

Mrr T said:

Tuna said:

Mrr T said:

Very glad BJ gave him £250k of our money to leave so as to appoint someone with no national security experience.

Rumours are that the civil service contract requires this level of pay out when you have to sack someone.

I would doubt that because it would mean £30k would no longer be tax free.

The story also say most will go into his pension which is most unlikely. As a senior civil servant I am sure his pension pot already exceeds £1m.

Not complaining about the amount just that we have to fund it. Surely if the change was political BJ and team should pay.

Parrot incoming....

[PRTVR]

Mrr T said:

PRTVR said:

Is he not replacing Mark Sedwill? The one with all the experience, who said I think that Huawei should have a part in our 5 G network when everyone and his dog was saying no.

The everyone and his dog obviously does not include BJ who continued to allow Huawei involvement.

On advice from his security adviser most probably.

[anonymous-user]

Looks like he’s on tour again, SBS in Poole, SAS in Hereford, Rapid Capabilities Office in Farnborough, Defence intelligence at RAF Wyton and DSTL Porton Down.... despite not receiving the necessary clearance and the whistle blower’s concerns about his Russian connections still not bring addressed.... Every Tory should be embarrassed.

[Taffer]

pablo said:

Looks like he’s on tour again, SBS in Poole, SAS in Hereford, Rapid Capabilities Office in Farnborough, Defence intelligence at RAF Wyton and DSTL Porton Down.... despite not receiving the necessary clearance and the whistle blower’s concerns about his Russian connections still not bring addressed.... Every Tory should be embarrassed.

You'd hope that any areas he visits on these facilities will be sanitised before his arrival. After Mark François' 'threat' to the Chief of the Defence Staff the other day, I doubt any of the defence establishments will be extending the warmest of welcomes to DC.

[Sway]

If it means they get better kit for less money thanks to improved procurement approaches, then he just might be welcome...

Obviously not by the turkeys that wish to avoid Christmas...

[Tuna]

pablo said:

Every Tory should be embarrassed.

Of what exactly? Vague rumours? Even if you accept the 'Russian influence' at face value, what is he going to do at these meetings, invade the army?

[tangerine_sedge]

Sway said:

If it means they get better kit for less money thanks to improved procurement approaches, then he just might be welcome...

Obviously not by the turkeys that wish to avoid Christmas...

The best and quickest way to improve Defence procurement would be by removing politicians from the mix...

[anonymous-user]

Tuna said:

pablo said:

Every Tory should be embarrassed.

Of what exactly? Vague rumours? Even if you accept the 'Russian influence' at face value, what is he going to do at these meetings, invade the army?

Stop being childish about a very serious affair. Every Tory should be embarrassed because this isn’t the way that strategic decisions about the U.Ks defence and security are conducted but no one has the balls to challenge him, Boris or the Cabinet.

As I’ve said, they have had a decade to sort out Defence but fked up literally everything. Now a SPAD with no military or procurement experience is deemed the right man for the job?

His influence runs deep, there will be cuts to capabilities he deems unnecessary based on a personal whim and with very little understanding, ultimately reducing the UKs ability to deploy and conduct operations but there are many people who like the fact he appears to be taking a sword to departments the people have been told are under performing and wasting money, the same departments the Tories have controlled for a decade,...

Remember the abuse Corbin faced for much lesser connections with Russia?

[anonymous-user]

Taffer said:

pablo said:

Looks like he’s on tour again, SBS in Poole, SAS in Hereford, Rapid Capabilities Office in Farnborough, Defence intelligence at RAF Wyton and DSTL Porton Down.... despite not receiving the necessary clearance and the whistle blower’s concerns about his Russian connections still not bring addressed.... Every Tory should be embarrassed.

You'd hope that any areas he visits on these facilities will be sanitised before his arrival. After Mark François' 'threat' to the Chief of the Defence Staff the other day, I doubt any of the defence establishments will be extending the warmest of welcomes to DC.

The establishments he’s visiting are very much used to feeding titbits to visitors, fluffing them up with out of date sensitive information, making them feel important and sending them on their way. His visits aren’t the issue, it’s why him, why now, and for what purpose. Ultimately we know this though.

The next issue is what he does in his office and who he feels aggrieved by the most. We’re going to be told soon about military capabilities that will be cut or cancelled, people will have to decide if they support the decision, it is sensible and realistic and based on a robust argument and the risk presented is tolerable, or if they support it because Dominic Cummings said so.

[s2art]

pablo said:

Tuna said:

pablo said:

Every Tory should be embarrassed.

Of what exactly? Vague rumours? Even if you accept the 'Russian influence' at face value, what is he going to do at these meetings, invade the army?

Stop being childish about a very serious affair. Every Tory should be embarrassed because this isn’t the way that strategic decisions about the U.Ks defence and security are conducted but no one has the balls to challenge him, Boris or the Cabinet.

As I’ve said, they have had a decade to sort out Defence but fked up literally everything. Now a SPAD with no military or procurement experience is deemed the right man for the job?

His influence runs deep, there will be cuts to capabilities he deems unnecessary based on a personal whim and with very little understanding, ultimately reducing the UKs ability to deploy and conduct operations but there are many people who like the fact he appears to be taking a sword to departments the people have been told are under performing and wasting money, the same departments the Tories have controlled for a decade,...

Remember the abuse Corbin faced for much lesser connections with Russia?

I disagree. Having read Cummings blog and seen how much he admired the organisations in the USA during the Manhatten project, Cold war and Apollo project (it all went to st after that) he would be looking at their methods and seeing how closely they follow best practice. Given the serial SNAFUs the MOD achieve its about time someone did a deep dig.

[eps]

s2art said:

pablo said:

Tuna said:

pablo said:

Every Tory should be embarrassed.

Of what exactly? Vague rumours? Even if you accept the 'Russian influence' at face value, what is he going to do at these meetings, invade the army?

Stop being childish about a very serious affair. Every Tory should be embarrassed because this isn’t the way that strategic decisions about the U.Ks defence and security are conducted but no one has the balls to challenge him, Boris or the Cabinet.

As I’ve said, they have had a decade to sort out Defence but fked up literally everything. Now a SPAD with no military or procurement experience is deemed the right man for the job?

His influence runs deep, there will be cuts to capabilities he deems unnecessary based on a personal whim and with very little understanding, ultimately reducing the UKs ability to deploy and conduct operations but there are many people who like the fact he appears to be taking a sword to departments the people have been told are under performing and wasting money, the same departments the Tories have controlled for a decade,...

Remember the abuse Corbin faced for much lesser connections with Russia?

I disagree. Having read Cummings blog and seen how much he admired the organisations in the USA during the Manhatten project, Cold war and Apollo project (it all went to st after that) he would be looking at their methods and seeing how closely they follow best practice. Given the serial SNAFUs the MOD achieve its about time someone did a deep dig.

Which version of his blog is that? The one where he initially posts or the the one where he edits it at a later date to make himself look like a prescient genius?

[eps]

So Cummings worked for Ian Duncan-Smith, then Gove, then Johnson.. Seems like he was just shadowing whoever was possibly likely to get into No. 10. jumping ship as and when they fell short until he hit the jackpot.

He seems eminently distrustful.

[JagLover]

tangerine_sedge said:

The best and quickest way to improve Defence procurement would be by removing politicians from the mix...

Similar reasoning lead to the establishment of Public Health England, which seems to have performed dismally in this crisis.

All you do by removing the politicians is remove political accountability.

[deadslow]

eps said:

Which version of his blog is that? The one where he initially posts or the the one where he edits it at a later date to make himself look like a prescient genius?

[Zirconia]

deadslow said:

eps said:

Which version of his blog is that? The one where he initially posts or the the one where he edits it at a later date to make himself look like a prescient genius?

Yeah, flicking through a few of his bloggs, he seems to like technology. Suspect cuts are one the way and a Cummings related firm will get the contract for remote piloted tanks and warships all controlled by wondoze 94 on a flakey server in the Kremlin.

[Tuna]

pablo said:

Tuna said:

pablo said:

Every Tory should be embarrassed.

Of what exactly? Vague rumours? Even if you accept the 'Russian influence' at face value, what is he going to do at these meetings, invade the army?

Stop being childish about a very serious affair. Every Tory should be embarrassed because this isn’t the way that strategic decisions about the U.Ks defence and security are conducted but no one has the balls to challenge him, Boris or the Cabinet.

It's not being childish to point out that a visit to the MOD is not making "strategic decisions" about anything, and you're being paranoid to suggest it is.

[youngsyr]

s2art said:

I disagree. Having read Cummings blog and seen how much he admired the organisations in the USA during the Manhatten project, Cold war and Apollo project (it all went to st after that) he would be looking at their methods and seeing how closely they follow best practice. Given the serial SNAFUs the MOD achieve its about time someone did a deep dig.

Will he be trying to unearth Nazis, give them diplomatic protection and put them in charge of everything then?

[s2art]

youngsyr said:

s2art said:

I disagree. Having read Cummings blog and seen how much he admired the organisations in the USA during the Manhatten project, Cold war and Apollo project (it all went to st after that) he would be looking at their methods and seeing how closely they follow best practice. Given the serial SNAFUs the MOD achieve its about time someone did a deep dig.

Will he be trying to unearth Nazis, give them diplomatic protection and put them in charge of everything then?

If they can do a job better than anyone else, I am sure Cummings would back them. One of the mantras of his organisational hero was 'first the men'. Find the men with the 'right stuff' for the task in hand.