Wednesday 18 February 2009

LINE BY LINE DOLLAR BY DOLLAR THEY GO


People in and out of Government departments are head down and tushes up as they pour over the books of each and every Government department and Ministry. Line by line the go, project by project, programme by programme, trimming , snipping , biffing out , asking why, asking how and asking "what the fuck?"


Up they front to Ministers with weasel words, fawning over their new masters whispering n how good they have been and how much they have trimmed, offering up only dust, only to be told to go away and come back with more. Some have been told twice already that they must do better. CE's stare at you with the eyes of the hunted in the lift. It is a new dawn and the cold light of reality sees them shiver.

It is a beautiful thing to behold. People in the hinterland should be allowed to come to Wellington to watch to give them some satisfaction that this government that they gave their good votes to, is performing financial liposuction on the bloated beast that is the public service.

Over coffee you hear the whines and the howls and see the tears from some as their little fiefdoms are sucked of fat. In other corners rivers of joyful tears run down the faces of the pragmatic as finally they see the waste being put in a bucket and turfed out. Gone are the raspberry and white chocolate muffins, gone are the two course luncheons for little meetings, Going are the Koru Club cards, gone are the oversized rentals. Going are the spurious overseas conferences for " networking." Going are the crap documents in huge storerooms that serve no purpose, remain unread, never distributed.

All is Bliss - just bliss.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

I hope the "pruning" extends to our indigenous NGO's and quangos which suck up a lot of cash. I have a list if anyone wants it.

Cactus Kate said...

I am worried about your coffee consumption BB.

euminedes said...

no coffee just a luverly montipulciano - have to keep my rep as a drinker intact..:-)

Anonymous said...

While a sensible line-by-line review of the budgets is a good thing I can't help wondering if it's more to do with giving the Nats something to crow about rather than actually saving the big bucks.

Personally I'd be far more impressed by 2 other approaches.

First, I'd take a long hard look at the list of ministries, departments, agencies, quangos etc. Do we really need Ministries of Womens, Family and Pacific Island Affairs? Really??? Far more fat to be cut by chopping off limbs rather than from trimming the fingernails.

Second, the big challenge is finding some way to reignite a performance culture in the public sector. I don't think the problem is too many people. It's too many **ineffective** people who spend their day dreaming up new ways to cover their arses. We need to find a way to lift the performance and productivity of the public sector. Hectoring them about the size of their rental car isn't going to do that.

Penny wise. Pound foolish.

Anonymous said...

Beautiful words, simply devine!
When does the stoning start?
Save me a seat!

Anonymous said...

What is wrong with Koru Club memberships for people who travel and work? Really, have you actually tried to travel - and - work - in this country?

Honestly, this rash of senseless hatred undermines any valid points you people have to make.

Oswald Bastable said...

Day in, day out and all without a koru card.

Sympathy- it's in the dictionary between 'Shit' and 'Syphylis'...