New lamp post(s)

[Bobby Dazzler]

Bobby Dazzler, if it were only lampposts then I may agree with you.

I assume your opening paragraph was supposedly an attempt of sarcasm. Your second to garner other MB club members.

I in no way was aiming any form of insult at other members what so ever.

I feel no need to seek approval or support from other members, and I’m not suggesting that you’re trying to insult members. However you will inevitably be insulting some members though, as some will work for councils.

According the ONS there are around 3.5m people working in local/central government and other public sector roles. That’s around 5% of the UK’s 67m population, so it’s not unreasonable to assume that’s also 5% of MBClub membership.

My reason for mentioning MBClub members was simply that describing one group of people as inept because they work for a government organisation is equivalent to calling any other group inept.

Government organisations don’t specifically seek out inept, incapable or incompetent people. They employ hard working people, trying to do the right thing, just like everyone else - you, me and other MBClub members.

 

[SeagullFan]

I feel no need to seek approval or support from other members, and I’m not suggesting that you’re trying to insult members. However you will inevitably be insulting some members though, as some will work for councils. I assume then that you Sir are never critical of or fall into using a generalisation.

According the ONS there are around 3.5m people working in local/central government and other public sector roles. That’s around 5% of the UK’s 67m population, so it’s not unreasonable to assume that’s also 5% of MBClub membership. be interesting if it is or isn’t. Your assumption would follow that whatever a business type, an event one may attend, a protest one may attend, a club one may join would all fall into the same make up, and that is probably not always the case.

My reason for mentioning MBClub members was simply that describing one group of people as inept because they work for a government organisation is equivalent to calling any other group inept. i was in fact referring to council as an authority rather than the individuals themselves - that was your leap of assumption

Government organisations don’t specifically seek out inept, incapable or incompetent people. They employ hard working people, trying to do the right thing, just like everyone else - you, me and other MBClub members. And wouldn’t it stupid if they did. People apply for jobs they are well suited to, an employer can only employ from the applicants (in the main).

 

[190]

I've worked both in the private sector in a major multi national and in the public sector. It's quite wrong to categorise all public sector workers as hopeless. There are many very capable people and admittedly some that are not. You have to be realistic, if a job in the public sector commands half the salary that it would in a major multinational then the very best are not going to be attracted. It's utter nonsense that the public sector is generally overpaid, quite the reverse and it's going to get worse as they receive below inflation pay rises. I'm glad I'm out of it because public sector pensioners get much higher annual increases that those actually in work and have done for years.

My experience of the public sector was in schools which were simpler and leaners 20 or 30 years ago and have turned flabby with the increasing levels of red tape and general nonsense. Reform of the public sector is needed but it should concentrate on removing all of the unnecessary jobs (starting with the ones that have anything to do with woke) rather than penalising the whole of the public sector.

Apologies to anyone offended but the most useless lazy workers I've ever come across in a business scenario are from the private sector monopoly outfits like BT. Perhaps we were always sent the most useless BT engineer but he never actually fixed anything without calling in one or more additional engineers who knew what they were doing. They always seemed to do everything mob handed.

 

[SeagullFan]

I've worked both in the private sector in a major multi national and in the public sector. It's quite wrong to categorise all public sector workers as hopeless. There are many very capable people and admittedly some that are not. You have to be realistic, if a job in the public sector commands half the salary that it would in a major multinational then the very best are not going to be attracted. It's utter nonsense that the public sector is generally overpaid, quite the reverse and it's going to get worse as they receive below inflation pay rises. I'm glad I'm out of it because public sector pensioners get much higher annual increases that those actually in work and have done for years.

My experience of the public sector was in schools which were simpler and leaners 20 or 30 years ago and have turned flabby with the increasing levels of red tape and general nonsense. Reform of the public sector is needed but it should concentrate on removing all of the unnecessary jobs (starting with the ones that have anything to do with woke) rather than penalising the whole of the public sector.

Apologies to anyone offended but the most useless lazy workers I've ever come across in a business scenario are from the private sector monopoly outfits like BT. Perhaps we were always sent the most useless BT engineer but he never actually fixed anything without calling in one or more additional engineers who knew what they were doing. They always seemed to do everything mob handed.

I agree with you. Just to clarify, I didn’t critise the individual’s, but the authorities etc themselves. It was Bobby Dazzler who made that leap of assumption on my behalf.

Neither though did I ever say anyone was overpaid.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

I agree with you. Just to clarify, I didn’t critise the individual’s, but the authorities etc themselves. It was Bobby Dazzler who made that leap of assumption on my behalf.

Neither though did I ever say anyone was overpaid.

To be clear I didn't say you criticised members, not did I make any assumptions. Here is precisely what I said:

People working for the local councils are people just like you, me and other MBClub members, and broadly reflect the rest of society. If people working for the council are inept, then society is also inept, and that means that you, me and other MBClub members are inept too..

 

[SeagullFan]

I didn’t say you did say members, I said you said individuals and in either event i criticised neither. I critised the authorities, YOU made the leap from authorities to individuals.

get it right … just read what you have posted.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

I didn’t say you did say members, I said individuals ….

get it right … just read what you have posted

You win.

 

[JHS]

Government organisations don’t specifically seek out inept, incapable or incompetent people.

They just give that impression.

 

[merc estate]

Wow Wow everyone calm down this was about the lamp post.
The council changed the tops on the metal posts to led about 2/3 years ago. Then earlier this year we had the same thing taking down the lamp post because people hit them i was told by the council ( obversely better to hit people ). But i live on a corner so they was putting this lamp post up against my side fence ( handy for the burglar's ) so once to council saw me shouting and jumping up and down, they put it back where it was. Thank you council.

 

[ChrisEdu]

We used to have short lampposts outside our property, short enough that their light didn't spill into the garden over our hedging.

As it was nice and dark, I invested in an 11" telescope, and some considerable cost.

You can imagine how thoroughly peeved I felt when a few months later out quaint lampposts were replaced with modern, huge green monstrosities, especially as we have three beaming down into the garden!

 

[flying haggis]

Government organisations don’t specifically seek out inept, incapable or incompetent people.

You sure........

 

[merc estate]

You sure........

let me get a chair

 

[SpikyMikey]

let me get a chair

I'll get the snacks

 

[Deleted member 126251]

We had the heads of ours changed to LED a few years back. I'm sure they must be more eco-whatever but the light they give is not so good.

The lamp posts in out village are now all LED but very bright!

 

[Deleted member 126251]

Then there is the need to spend the budget this year so that they get the same or larger budget next year...................

Surely every budget needs to be supported by a detailed listing all estimated items of expected expenditure for the budgeted year?

I was involved in budgeting throughout my career and it was not simply a case of saying “we spent all our money last year so we need more this year”.

 

[st13phil]

Government organisations don’t specifically seek out inept, incapable or incompetent people.

I agree: they don't. There are, as you say, a number of highly competent, hard-working people in Government organisations. However...

In Government organisations there are also a disproportionate number of inept, incapable, incompetent or downright lazy people who would not survive in the private sector because they don't get dealt with (in terms of meaningful performance management) or fired. The organisation as a whole seems scared or unable to deal with poor employee performance, and a minority use that to their personal advantage.

Also - and this is often overlooked - some of the highly competent, hard-working, people are made to look inept, incapable or incompetent due to their need to follow poorly designed inflexible, prescriptive, processes that are intended to prevent errors. They do prevent errors, but often only by dint of preventing anything being done.

 

[Deleted member 126251]

It’s a good job that all of the inept, ............, etc............

Thanks for clarifying that.

I always thought that council workers, civil servants etc were people that were there to do as little as possible until they reached pension age. I’ve known a few over the years (council workers, firemen & police) and that was certainly my impression of their work ethic.

However, I’m sure that there are also many good and competent workers caught in a incompetent, top heavy, and out of date system.

 

[Ronb9191]

There is a concrete lamp post right outside my house, at the edge of the pavement. Yesterday, the County Council installed a taller, metal lamp post, 4-5 feet further in from the pavement edge, with all the associated hole digging, noise and mess.. The existing lamp post is still in situ and will be removed in due course, by the electricity supply company, according to the County Council workmen (nice old school lads. btw).

When I asked the workmen why the old lamp post was being replaced, they said it was because the number of lamp posts, positioned close to the road, that were being damaged by vehicles was approximately one every two weeks. With tongue in cheek, I asked "has no one caught this woman yet?", which did get a laugh from the "lads". They also said that all the concete lamp posts in the area (of which there are many) are curently being replaced.

Note - this work of installing the new posts is being undertaken by the County Council (funded by Council Tax payers, incidentally), who also have the responsibility of maintaining our road surfaces.........

Now we all know that Council budgets have been cut, while Council Tax charges have increased again this year. It does beg the question - if monery is tight, why replace hundreds of working lamp posts and ignore our disgraceful (and often dangerous) road surfaces?

Answers on a postcard, please.

The stupidity of your local council is not unique, our council(ombc) are currently paying a multi millionaire road surface company countless hundreds of thousands of pounds to replace perfectly good paving in the town centre only to be ripping it up next year when they demolish that area of the town to re develop, our roads ar shocking, we ask for traffic calming etc and are given the same answer, no money.

 

[Ted]

Spam reported

 

[Alex225]

We had the heads of ours changed to LED a few years back. I'm sure they must be more eco-whatever but the light they give is not so good.

Exactly the same here. Our road went from normal bulbs to whiter LEDs. The thing is they don't glow, they seem to just light the space directly under them so the road feels darker!