Leaks from the top

We all know Sir Humphrey- he's back in town .But do we really know him ?
Do the young buck advisors know him or just think they know him ?  One of his riskiest strategies was leaking stuff . He would have his reason -  he knew what he was doing, or at least he would have colleagues in the lounge who would understand why he did what he did. Not so the advisor this week who let the personal grow into a predictable fire . .
Like it or lump it Sir Humphrey was smart enough to know that his personal emotions must never show and infact must generally be sat on - waiting for next time . ( Partnership episode)
The leak this week in Australia by The PM's staff seems to demonstrate a new morality new age element . Politicians on the left  may not talk about it much, but many know its hanging around inside the top office; A lack of self control and a little too much self righteousness ;The end justifies the means , If the leader/ cause  is a bad one ,  what stops you setting up retaliation ( .The question of motivation could well be asked of Tony Hodges ?
Sir H liked to think he knew what he was doing  BUT he usually checked with the oldies . Money on the fact that the leak giver  checked with no one. Julia's forthright advisers are valued for their gamesmanship ; the cost maybe that , like sheep in wolves territory , they don't always really know what they are doing and they don't fear the wolf ( the real spirit of democracy including respect for the rules of respect for people ? )
Its one thing to allow a meeting to be stacked , but another to give advice to allow a group to do it: a group whom any sensible person could see could cause a loss of  control in what must be a peaceful demonstration.; What emotion clouded his judgement ? Does any emotion cloud SirH judgement? Checks and balances?  Was anger the excuse and the fire that wasn't quenched by reason and reasonability ?

Some wider lateral questions here

Green clones to plough the fields and scatter

Carbon farming legislation 
As if to demonstrate the danger of ignoring the implementation question over the ideas , both parties have been tripping over themselves today to announce a revamped soil sequestration  incentive ( Greg Combey at 12pm today and Greg Hunt on ABC lateline 23rd ) Taking one to know one they know the idea but not yet how to implement it - seriously dangerous . 
-.we don't need more bureaubrats.. Tax fuel abusers (eg 4WD) and give sequesters a decent excise
- As if farmers don't already have enough single focused greenclones talkin to them bout things they don't understand
-The earth is able to sustain itself .A coalition of low integrity and accountability wants us to take them seriuosly No
-Only trade unions would think they would be able to tell farmers when they need to be paid and how much
-Always inventing new stuff and talking to solutions in name only shocking #abcenvironment #lateline

Real hoods but dressed like Robin

Neil Mitchell is aghast that our water bills are doubled and is rightly concerned about how such pathetic projects like the desal plant get up .
Well,  he,  like the rest of Victoria need to be very clear about how this stupidity got past the gatekeepers; Holdings gate keepers hadn't any keys  . The young and inexperienced public servants who advise the dummies in charge think they are doing a great job - they think they have landed a job with Robin Hood when the modus operandi is the castle .
Instead of being vulnerable,  these white knights are invisible and have consultants calling on them to help them spend the windfall of riches they have acquired.  Lets' be clear ,  they all think  " we "pay too little for some commodities and have fallen for the motivation logic that ' we will only appreciate something if we pay more for it"  . ( true whether these high priests  live in Canberra Melbourne or Sydney ) 

Voters must recognise that Queen Julia's and Prince  Brumbys men have been dressing up like Robin Hood for decades . They get away with more taxes because they are "robbing the bad to pay the good " - We are expected to accept that they are ones who are "doing us good" . But the main outcome  they are going to get  bigger castles http:// bureaubrats.blogspot.com and tell us how to live (http:// nannyism.blogspot.com)
Voters : tell them give us our freedom and stop pretending they  have a mandate to spend our money  how they like.

Dreamy Young bucks

On the hustings yesterday I made the point to many across the political spectrum that the fine ambitions of many to do something for the environment ( most of us ) MUST adopt and now still find a competency base for these fine ambitions.
I was well qualified to prove the point locally and made those points about what's happened around Apollo bay and the Otway's and beyond over the last 15 years .
The point is , while Julia's advisors may be well intentioned , they do not know what they are talking about it . They are good at focusing on the image ( a fiction and moving feast) and  crap on content .As a Woolworths chairman said , we are not short of ideas , just people to implement them .
If I am right , then the young bucks cannot be included in a cutting edge conservation push  because they break without confession , the golden rule of conservation  "short term gain,  long term pain"  .

All governments are only as good as the advice they get , and Labors' one term failure is largely down to that problem.  The greens  too can talk,  but the wind still moves the light things on.  You heard it first on blogger aug Sunday 22nd , 2010.   Copyright Emperors Academy

Why do they have to keep changing things ?

Cause the leaders keep changing direction too. Therefore its not entirely the fault of BB . You have to have leadership that is not to clever ( doesn't have its identity tied up in invention rather than completion ) and respects cleverness in the club . 
But more importantly, because somePS 's are clever and indutriuos , they have time too  to be petty.You can't cut the numbers ( unless you are a miracle worker) but you can give them something worthwhile to do. 

While we have polys that run around like skun cats thinking of ideas , we have PS who meddle with minor things casue they have been given a low horizon agenda - by default.  What do you think ?

The new millenuem will reveal the paradox of good governance - that its dependant on the quality of both the PS and the Polys . While we cultivate a low view of them both we will get what we believe them to be .

Why do bureaucracies keep growing?

Are the problems getting harder? . Surely the growth of the nanny state suggests otherwise. How much would the overall mental health of our society improve if we got rid of the people who are technically  " here to help you but don't seem to hear ".
Why does Brumby ( Victoria,  Australia)  allow so much of our money to go into TV and paper Ads which tell us how to suck eggs . The children may be in charge, ,  but Thankfully ,  not all the audience/people are children.  Or are we?
Got something to do with the fact that real leadership is tough and lonely and the bureau is a nice warm place where we get on rather than get on with that sort of job -or that sort of person ?
What do you think ?

One way to keep them from multiplying

Well there must be many ways open to God , but one of the few open to mortals is to target waste in Duckshoving .(DS)

Apparently this great aussie word was coined to refer to duck like behavior as early as 1870 .The ducks appear to be inline and going the same way . But there are early indications of ladder climbing efforts - the cue is getting a little ragged at the back ?,
 Look at their eyes, especially at the back. Looks can be decieving . "Yes Minister" and all that  . What you really need to know is what they are thinking and what else they can see.  Which one are you most like ?

The only way to avoid DS is to make sure people at the bottom make decisions  and remind your troops you are not ducks or old dogs ( that you can't learn new new ways)
This "I'm just a stupid animal excuse" is dumb ducks from the pseudoinnocence songbook.

Dealing with duckshoving : Sounds so simple , you would think it was obviuos , wouldn't you .
Solution 1  --No more strategy documents and other deviations .
Scene 1  The Castle Cabinet room ;(requests for help to make decisions are becoming a problem )
"What do they think we are up here to do " - " we are not the experts" . Sir Humphrey's view is probably slightly different
"Its their job to fight the war
Our job to defend the castle


The help messages folder is getting overloaded .
The castle has become full of people filing and answering correspondence ."
No more decisions are made ,       but we all very ........very busy
Copyright EA march 2010