This latest government kerfuffle

[River Don]

Lee Cain, Carrie Symonds, Dominic Cummings,  Allegra Stratton,  Munira Mirza, James Slack, Lynton Crosby, Lord Udny Lister...

Is there anyone running the government who has actually been elected?

[big fat yorkshire pudding]

Isn't this just the same as any government ever?

[IDM]

There’s a difference between advisors and senior civil servants..

[BillyStubbsTears]

BFYP.

There's a massive difference with this Govt.

Johnson is bone idle and disinterested in detail. So he devolved the actual running of Govt to the No 10 office. That has never happened in our lifetimes. And THAT is why this is so important. Because this group are de facto running the country. Johnson is just the front of house salesman. And not one of them has ever been elected.

[Donnywolf]

.... yes the final sentence says it all really

One of the tenets of us leaving the EU was to do away with "being ruled by UNELECTED Bureaucrats" and being bound by whatever rules they impose on us

Here is a short excerpt from LSE
A popular claim by many supporters of the Leave campaign is that the EU is run by ‘unelected bureaucrats’. How much truth is there behind that claim?
This claim mainly refers to the EU Commission: the EU’s executive body. It is true that the Commission President and the individual Commissioners are not directly elected by the peoples of Europe. So, in that sense, we cannot “throw the scoundrels out”. It is also true that under the provisions of the EU treaty, the Commission has the sole right to propose EU legislation, which, if passed, is then binding on all the EU member states and the citizens of these member states.


Me again - so we have all those pointed out by BST - and there has been a lot of Nicky Morgan types (now Baroness Nicky Morgan unelected again and several more
Also coming soon but not the same "another mouth to feed) as Johnson appoints someone to hold White House style press briefings DAILY and they will be televised ! f****** rivetting

[BillyStubbsTears]

Have you heard what kicked off this spat?

Lee Cain is No10 Director of Communications. Allegra Stratton, the TV journalist, is to be Johnson's new Press Secretary.

Cain wanted Stratton to report to him.

Stratton insisted on reporting directly to Johnson, because she wants to be able to influence policy.

That's right. An unelected journalist influencing policy.

[Donnywolf]

Bet Laura Kuennsberg is miffed

[Glyn_Wigley]

Perhaps Boris doesn't fancy her.

[big fat yorkshire pudding]

BST, I can't quote your post but are the numbers that startling?

Boris Johnson had 108 at the last report, Theresa May had 99.

Under Blair/Brown the numbers were between 70-85 typically, so yes smaller but still existing.  The big increase was under Blair, he doubled the number of the previous government.  So I wouldn't say it's quite the large change you're making out?  Nor are they doing anything wrong?  Note I don't disagree with your point on Boris lacking detail, but his process of using advisors is not a new thing.

Of course a lot of these advisers become MP's in time - Milliband, Ed Balls etc....

[MachoMadness]

The number of advisers isn't the problem. The fact that those advisers are deciding policy and effectively running the country is.

[albie]

Advisors are a problem if they are representing other interests at the same time as acting as special advisors.

Those who have a political or commercial interest in influencing policy and delivery will tend to lead the elected representative, not be guided by them.

The objective of many organisations is to have a voice at the table of the decision maker. This is not a benign interest.

It is true that this trend accelerated under New Labour.
Most people do not understand the mechanisms by which government processes are controlled and re-directed.

Why would Coco want to have a staff heavily biased towards Leave campaign group members?
What is the role of the permanent Civil Service, if their function of impartial advice is displaced by a parallel system of special interest advice?

[belton rover]

‘Stratton insisted on reporting directly to Johnson, because she wants to be able to influence policy.’

When did she say that?

Shocking!

If true.

[i_ateallthepies]

Are special advisors subject to the same requirements as elected representatives in respect to declaration of interest?

[albie]

Pies,

In theory, yes;
https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/explainers/special-advisers

In practice, it is not too difficult to blur the lines of influence.
In some cases, relationships are only monetised after service is given.

Twas ever thus, but it is a growing industry operating in the spaces allowed by the democratic process and its constitutional arrangements.

[Donnywolf]

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 Sorry reply to MachoMadness #number 8

Someone posted a few weeks ago that Johnson was chuffed to be PM - and that he would love being able to say (forever) I was once the PM of the UK

What he didnt realise was to do both of those he had to actually DO the bit in the middle and even his allies knew that was something he does not have the stomach nor the desire to do and so they will be busy for a while yet doing the job for him

[wilts rover]

This bloke was one of Gordon Brown's main advisors, so knows a bit about these things:

Anyone spot the uncanny similarity between the leak of the secret meeting on a 2nd lockdown to The Times to bounce the PM into agreeing it, & the leak of an offer of the Chief of Staff position to Lee Cain to The Times to bounce the PM into agreeing it?

https://twitter.com/StewartWood/status/1326855112258691073

[i_ateallthepies]

Thanks Albie.

[SydneyRover]

''What he didnt realise was to do both of those he had to actually DO the bit in the middle and even his allies knew that was something he does not have the stomach nor the desire to do and so they will be busy for a while yet doing the job for him''

that was a piece by Marina Hyde, Wolfie

[drfchound]

‘Stratton insisted on reporting directly to Johnson, because she wants to be able to influence policy.’

When did she say that?

Shocking!

If true.

It would also be shocking if not true.

[wilts rover]

Why should unelected advisors (and press spokespeople) be able to influence policy hound? Isn't that what MP's are supposed to do?

You can go an meet your MP and ask them to act on your behalf. You can't go and meet any of these advisors - unless you are mate or went to the same school as them.

[drfchound]

Why should unelected advisors (and press spokespeople) be able to influence policy hound? Isn't that what MP's are supposed to do?

You can go an meet your MP and ask them to act on your behalf. You can't go and meet any of these advisors - unless you are mate or went to the same school as them.

Wilts, why are you asking me that question.
I haven’t said anything that would indicate that I think it is ok for these advisors to influence policy.

[BillyStubbsTears]

It's about far more than advising policy at No10. Cummings has wielded an unprecedented amount of control over all Govt departments. But it does look like he's overplayed his hand on this one. And he's lost his first lieutenant in the process.

Knowing the arrogance of the man, I'll be amazed if he's prepared to carry in working in a situation where he doesn't have unbridled authority. I'll bet he's resigned by mid-Summer.

[SydneyRover]

I would imagine everyone involved understands how little johnson knows and are fighting over who gets to pull the strings.

[SydneyRover]

''Amid renewed rumours that Dominic Cummings, Johnson’s chief adviser and another alumnus of the Vote Leave campaign, could also be planning to quit, one senior Tory MP openly called on Johnson to “get a grip”''

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/nov/12/boris-johnson-on-last-chance-say-tory-mps-after-lee-cain-row

[belton rover]

‘Stratton insisted on reporting directly to Johnson, because she wants to be able to influence policy.’

When did she say that?

Shocking!

If true.

It would also be shocking if not true.

But not surprising.

[drfchound]

‘Stratton insisted on reporting directly to Johnson, because she wants to be able to influence policy.’

When did she say that?

Shocking!

If true.

It would also be shocking if not true.

But not surprising.

I thought you would understand why I wrote that Belton.

[MachoMadness]

BST.

Dilemma for Cummings. Accept that he doesn't have total control all the time and stay at No10, or give up all his power and the ability to enrich himself and his mates at our expense. Tough one.

[BillyStubbsTears]

MM.
Call me naive but I genuinely don't think it's about money for Cummings. Having read his blog for years, it's clear that he's a zealot who is convinced that he can remake Britain in the image that he wants. And he just doesn't take to people telling him what he can and can't do. If he gets muzzled now as a result of losing this power struggle, I can't see any way he sticks around. His ego won't let him be a lapdog.

[idler]

In today's Telegraph & Argus it reports that Philip Davies the Conservative MP for Shipley received £33,320 for 84 hours work.
GVC Holdings paid him this to provide advice on responsible gambling and customer service.
That's some hourly rate, more than a lot of people earn in a year for less than three weeks work. That's on top of his wage and other expenses.
Of course we are all in it together aren't we?

[BillyStubbsTears]

Err. As I was saying...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-54925322