Pritti Patel

When you consider some of the idiotic ideas that Patel has come out with then it's little wonder that she has encountered difficulty. In reality, the civil servants have probably protected her from her own idiocy on many occasions. Royal Navy to scuttle refugee dinghies was just one example. For me, it beggars belief that people would support the likes of her, Trump or (mini-Trump) Johnson. I hope earnestly that we can somehow return to saner times, but I'm not optimistic. It's easier to break stuff than to build it up.

 

Or those skewering Jeremy Corbyn based on media reports. Funny how it works eh?

Edit: ahh just seen Hooky Feller's reply. Snap.

 

Ah yes, scuttling dinghs on the channel. What a moment that was. Always good to see those on here who ally themselves with such inhumanity and a brazen bully.

 

This isn’t sensible debate: you’ve been told categorically how the relationship between ministers and senior civil servants works. But you keep leaning on your own incorrect assumptions.

Senior civil servants are literally paid to ensure ministers don’t break the law.

we have a senior civil servant who has a long and successful career and happily worked with several other home office ministers without issue.

and a Home Secretary who was previously forced to resign because she held talks with a foreign government about redirecting her aid budget to their military, with neither the permission or knowledge of the foreign Secretary or PM.

Any you decide that it must be the civil servant who’s in the wrong.

OK that seems perfectly reasonable and balanced.

 

how many times before Johnson came to power was this civil servant carrying out this role not independent enough for you? absolutely zero that’s how many!

If you’ve a problem why not call for Johnson to farm it out elsewhere and see where Patel ends up then. Wouldn’t you say that might have been a course of action if you were suddenly worried about impartiality. Or would you shout nothing to see here and shove it under the carpet.

Its national anti bullying week, A senior government minister has been accused and found guilty of bullying. What a time for someone with balls to actually make a stand. Instead we get sad apologists looking to find fault with the process.

 

I thought you'd pick up on it, funny how people do that when it suits.

I'm sure that paragraph makes sense to you!

More speculation from yourself in an attempt to muddy the water. She swore and shouted at her employees. If she can't deal with people properly then she shouldnt do the job.

FWIW the ex head of the civil service had also denied she wasn't told about her behaviour, saying she most certainly had been.

I've never been shouted at despite working for some pretty grumpy bosses. Nobody deserves to be bullied or shouted at. She's in arguably the most prominent role outside PM. If she can't control her temper then she should leave.

This conversation is saying as much about you as it does her.

 

Yep! contrary to the beliefs of one or two on here I am NOT rushing to defend her. Like I have said I do not know her personally but, on balance, it is likely she is very volatile, not adept at dealing with obstructions and overly dictatorial.

Nevertheless, why I posted was the character assassination and abuse targeting her from people on here who rely solely on media reports AND (In the majority of posters) have had absolutely no experience of contact with Senior And high ranking Civil Servants or the 'culture' that exists to down in the Civil Service overall. It remains very 'linear' and difficult to circumnavigate the hierarchy especially when it comes to disciplinary matters.
The same people baying for blood on here, take every opportunity to grasp at a reason to denigrate the Govt, almost gleefully.
Also, and at least one or two on here, will take issue of this, much of the resistance to change within the CS, particularly of the front line staff, comes from Unions. Much of it is understandable as I saw many hardworking (overworked people) committed and dedicated, stressed and relatively lowly paid for what was expected of them. The CS is NOT as some believe a 'cushy, jobs for life well paid sanctuary from the cut and thrust of the Private sector' Nevertheless some of the 'issues' from staff complainants (which I cannot detail due to having signed the OSA -seriously- not a wind up or BS) which were 'backed' by the Union were utterly ridiculous.

Again, whilst Patel clearly has flaws in her management style, and some question her competence, there are clearly questions against how the Civil Servants at the highest level van be persuaded to adapt and modernise. 'Yes Minister' was in it's day a pretty accurate portrayal of the workings and relationship between the PM, Ministers and Whitehall. I am not sure that much has changed in the intervening period and that the 'Sir Humphries' of the World still stalk the corridors of power.

 

The same people baying for blood on here, take every opportunity to grasp at a reason to denigrate the Govt, almost gleefully

Well even some like you who loves this govt and the imbeciles in it can hardly say they have covered themselves in any glory at all, firstly, lies on a bus about money to the NHS, the buffoon himself using derogatory comments regarding people from other ethnicities, demonic going to test his eyes, then the nepotism over the PPE contracts, the test and trace billions wasted.
The latest one that really made me laugh, money to horse racing, which is run by multi millionaires.

They are only interested keeping their friends happy.

People like Patel should not be allowed anywhere near public office. EVER.

STOP defending the indefensible...

Ffs, open your eyes man instead of wearing those Tory blinkers.

 

I don't think that Patel has a management style, so far as I can see from what is reported. Her behaviour would appear to fall somewhere close to the angry/criticising parent of Transactional Analysis-style theories of management. Not a state that is designed to get the best out of those she works with. As for the civil service, there are good and bad within it - people who are open to change and people who are against it. Just like any other walk of life, really. But it's easy to fall for the tabloid stereotype that civil servants are incapable of working with any new ideas. The basic concept has always been that it is a 'permanent' civil service, with 'permanent' secretaries who are there to assist the government of the day, whatever their political hue. But if experienced senior staff are forced out and their posts go to placemen then we will by stealth have adopted a politicised civil service, such as we see in America, with all the resultant chaos and costs. As Cummings found out, we soon went from a 'hard rain' to the times they are a-changing!

 

Patel:

• Has spoken in favour of capital punishment
• Wants to implement immigration laws which would have kept her own parents out
• Is a confirmed bully
• Worked lobbying on behalf of tobacco firms against regulation
• Was forced out of a previous ministerial role for holding secret meetings with Israel
• Referred to the toppling of the statue of Colston the slaver as "utterly disgraceful"
• Has repeatedly attacked the legal profession calling them "lefty human rights lawyers and other do gooders"

None of this is hearsay, it's fact. Based on the above I feel comfortable referring to her as vile.

 

With respect mate. I think most on here would take with a pinch of salt, media reports. ( as I do on both sides of the political spectrum until proved otherwise) She’s been guilty as charged in an official report.
Why the defence. ?

 

What I find amusing are the old patriots on here defending Priti with the knowledge that she lost her previous ministerial post due to her literally committing treason.

For most of my life that would have landed her out of the Conservative party forever, in recent times; destined to the back benches forever, but because she’s a high profile Brexiteer who will publicly back whatever the PM wants her to... she gets to keep her job. And because she is anti immigration, she gets the support of the usual suspects.

 

...and referred to Extinction Rebellion as 'criminals'. I wonder what she'd have called the civil rights protesters who marched with Dr King.

 

This is not the 1st time this deplorable nasty piece of work Patel as been bullying.
In 2015 while at the Dept. of Work and Pensions an employee brought about a complaint of Bullying and Harassment against the Department and Patel. In 2017 a settlement was reached for £25,000. As the saying goes a leopard never changes its spots.

 

You'd fit right into this government.

 

Hee hee caught red handed....just going to fetch the popcorn...

 

Because it generates a bit of drama, mate.

 

Seems Sir Phil Rutnam had raised the issue of her behaviour before, seems she's quite the potty mouth.
Unfortunately it looks like he wasn't asked to contribute to the independent investigation. Therefore the narrative of it being unintentional and not knowing folk didn't like being bullied doesn't hold much water. Pretty sure any discussions with her would have been followed up with formal emails. Unfortunately his ET isn't until next September.

 

Is there a doctor in the house? We have a burns victim!

 

I’ve just read this. It all makes sense when you realise exactly why she’s still in a job


“So, keeping Priti Patel in office is fine, because the report declares her bullying to have been “unintentional”. I have worked in high pressure environments throughout my professional life, so please forgive me when I take an old fashioned stance here. It's really quite simple - if you cannot operate under pressure without inadvertently bullying your staff, you probably shouldn’t be in charge of the United Kingdom’s counter-terror response.

Truth is, she is politically indispensable to the Tories in their present state, simply because she combines a number of vital qualities as far as Boris Johnson is concerned: An impeccable Brexiteer, a committed law and order authoritarian, and - most important - a devoted immigration hardliner. And, ironically, as Patel said about herself, a "no-******** person" who gets **** done. Apparantly, Patel's ineptitude is exactly what Johnson admires in her.

The real story of this report is about a department that has both severe internal difficulties and poor leadership on its political side. Yet there is no plan nor the will from Downing Street to change either of these things. And that is why Johnson's decision to put Patel’s political value ahead of this damning report may come back to bite him, because bad workplace behaviour is not simply a moral or a HR issue. It is also a product of incompetence and gross operational inability. In a department where those things have major security, and, in some cases, even deadly consequences, there may be severe political consequences too”