Accountability amongst the upper echelons of the Civil Service

As Michael McGrath said this morning, in relation to Eoin O'Broin's civil servant comment; civil servants must be free to advise as they see fit at the time. The decision to act, or not, on that advice, is a matter for the elected Government and the Dáil.

As others have said, the accountability is your ballot and that little HB pencil, yet we have a solid 30% of eligible voters who never do.

Whats the betting that the correlation between that 30% and the cohort of society most disadvantaged by direct Government decisions, is strong? It would make interesting study for sure.

Unfortunately TD's and ministers for all their self importance are basically sales people. It is a real struggle to change the state sector and the reason for that is down to the employees at all levels.

Ineffective politician blames someone else for his failures. Quelle surprise.

A system where a Minister can hand pick who he likes doesn't sound appealing though. Job's for the boys and corruption are the first two things that immediately jump to my mind when I imagine that scenario.

What's the alternative? Have no one in the role?

They needed to appearantly double the salary to get the right candidate(properly qualified candiate). There was a competition for the role and funny enough the best person was the internal man. I don't think the gov will be breaching set payscales again.

Stop rewriting history. He didn’t mention NSCS at all.

There was a competition for the role at the original salary. No one who knew their arse from their elbow applied.

I have interviewed an awful lot of people for fairly senior public service jobs and to say that 99% of the outsiders who apply don't have a clue is being generous to them.

Assuming SF get into government, I'd guess that they will find any attempts at meaningful change will be stymied unless the first reform they carry out is at the top levels of the civil & public service.

There is a very simple solution that 400,000 Irish people wont like.

Make a public sector workers vote count as half one vote.

The people that are taxed to pay for the running of the country should have more say at the ballot box than those who take their taxes, form massive unions that are "friendly" with each other, and vote en masse such that they can effectively vote in (& out) the entire govt.

Any govt Minister that would seek to reform them would find themselves out of office in short order eg Nurses/Teachers/Garda strike & RTE backing the unions propaganda as they get paid from the same source.

Heck those groups threaten strikes all the time just get their pay bumped up outside of pay agreements. National debt? They dont care.

Weighted voting - simplez

What countries do this?

So should we put your anti democratic proposal to a vote?

And this uninformed and irrational thinking is a good reason for leaving our democratic system at least we'll enough alone.

You phrase that post in a way that anyone who wasn't aware,would think that public servants didn't pay taxes.

You phrase that post in a way that anyone who wasn't aware,would think that public servants didn't cost taxpayers money to employ, didn't have uncosted and unfunded pensions, and didn't strike at the stop of a hat despite having job security that does not exist in the private sector.

Tell me where was democracy when the public sector and politicians colluded handing even more of the public funds to themselves? I don't remember getting a say in where my taxes were going.

Also your "pay taxes" analagy is specious. Sure why don't we pay each one a million euro salary, and take 950,000 off them. Then they could say "we pay more taxes than you". Obviously ridiculous, yet this is what teachers unions have pulled this exact same stunt!

So, my point stands tall. The people paying for all this, should get a greater say via a stronger vote, then those taking from them.

Correction, they are overpaid and MASSSIVELY over pensioned, to do jobs that in many cases should not exist.

Taxpayers are being absolutely fleeced to pay for this largesse, and yet the insiders continue to get away with it, because they can force out any politician who dares to take on their unions.

You have some cheek to misquote me. I said "threaten strikes".

Secondly this version of democracy where those that pay for everything get the same vote as those that take patently unfair.

Imagine a household where parents who work give their kids an allowance. But instead of taking x amount the kids take a little bit more, and give that bit back, and then proclaim they should have the exact nsame say in the how the household finances are spent!

Oh and how exactly do you know who I voted for, because the last 4 govts had zero of my candidates in them.

I never knew you were a public servant! A senior one....right. To be honest I take everything you post with a pinch of salt based off previous misinformation. You do love the status quo no matter how utterly dysfunctional.

You spend your day on Boards defending FFGG and attacking SF. How do you square that with your job?

"Your candidates didn’t get into government because very few people share your views"

Ahahhaaahahhaah. Wrong again! Highest amount of first preferences votes out of all parties! So they did indeed get elected, the reason they didnt get into government is because FF FG merged, something they swore blind they'd never do!