I'll be back

Cooooooo-eeeeeeeee!!!!!!!! Have you missed me??????

As you may have noticed I have not been around much. As some of you know I have been involved with a secret project. Well actually, I had the chance of a secondment to small little Government Department called Her Majesty’s Treasury. It appeared that HMT had got into a bit of bother, like most other Departments, they had lost lots of experienced staff in recent restructuring. Things had got so bad at HMT that they had lost all expertise in replacing the toner cartridges to their antiquated printers and were desperate for my skills! Ironic really that the Department with all the money are still relying on the old workhorse which is the beloved HP Laserjet III(D).  This D is for Duplex printing for those who don’t know!

My secondment was timed to cover the busy period when the budget was made-up. Wowsers - those guys at HMT do get through a lot of paper every day. I was kept on my toes I can tell you. In the last few months I have had to change 3 toner cartridges. Luckily I had lots of help and would formally like to thank the ginger haired young lad with the funny voice –I think his name is Danny and assume he is on some sort of work experience from a National Park or some other small single function body.  I would also like to thank everyone for being so friendly but gosh you guys work hard – you should come to Eland House for a rest!... oh and finally the SpAds are different.. (almost) professional without the air of supercilious arrogance that I sadly I had been accustomed too.

I will hopefully be back at Eland House soon and will start making sure that Uncle Eric and his cronies are held to account (or at least ridicule). In the mean time I was intrigued to see that a few of my and others blogs and FoI requests relating to Opera Solution, Gardant Communications  and Nick Sheridan-Westlake made Private Eye and the LGC last month.

First mention of Opera Solutions and how dodgy research has been used in July 2011:

http://derektickles.blogspot.co.uk/2011/07/fight-power.html

Next blog where questions are asked about meetings and emails between Nick Sheridan-Westlake and Nick Vaughan at Gardant Communications:

http://derektickles.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/hot-gossip.html

And finally when Mr Edward Rudolf asked about email communications between Gardant Communication and DCLG. This request was asked in September but not supplies until January – just enough time for Nick to delete his emails?!

http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/analysis_of_procurement_email_to#incoming-243845

I am sure this will not be the last of this. Ben Goldacre did the initial demolition job on Opera's work (linky) and this was then taken up expertly by Radio4's More or Less.... but comrades the real story is about poor Nick-Nick...so keep digging....

I'll be back.. sadly

Derek

iGoogle - uGoogle

Sorry I have not been about much. Some of you may know I pull a muscle down down in the basement (as in bowels of Eland House). I was trying out a few new yoga moves - never again. Normal service will be resumed.

Latest Freedom of Information request:

Dear Chums

On my way home tonight I was listening to amazing Dr Hook and I was reminded that being in love with a beautiful woman and cutting the deficit have some similarities - they are both hard. So I am in favour of the many creative ways to cut spending at DCLG. I particularly want to applaud the way the Uncle Eric has done away with the need for robust research or evidence to support his policies.

We all know that conducting research costs money -all those boring planning meeting stating hypothesissesesses;  months going out doing field work speaking to loons and weeks writing it all up with a heavy heart knowing that no one is going to read it. Plus there is the real danger than findings come out wrong! Crazy waste of money I am sure you would agree.

So it is reassuring that DCLG Ministers as doing away with unnecessary costly primary research and happy to trot out the line from any old Tom, Nick or Harry with an axe to grind.

Recently we have had some amazing facts about rat populations (courtesy of a pest control firm), research of weekly waste collection which was more useful as bin liner and the amazing Opera report on procurement (which is still attracting lots of follow up FoIs).

I note that yesterday in Hansard Bob Neil provided a written answer on trade union activities. http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201011/cmhansrd/cm111025/text/111025w0001.htm#11102556000004

Our Bobby quoted from reports from the Tax Payers Alliance and The Sunday Times. Both of these sources perhaps support Bob’s viewpoint but I wonder if this is a case of selection bias? Was there other research, that was conveniently cast aside? And is this research actually robust enough to be worth quoting?

Can you please answer the following to help me understand?

1)      Did anyone at DCLG actually read and attempt to fact check either of these reports? If so who?

2)      Did anyone at DCLG review the extrapolation method that the Tax Payer Alliance so skilfully applied?

3)      Was a wider literature reviews conducted? If so please provide results

Yours googling,

Derek