As long as
the public sector complaint procedures cover-up industry, aided by the
fraudulent Ombudsman system, rules the roost - then the FOI act is doomed!
Having
dealt with corrupt public sector complaints procedures, and learned much about
its cover-up culture that protects incompetent, fraudulent and corrupt civil
servants, and because of this self-protective deviousness by such civil
servants, one can see how the FOI act struggles to work. One can see how FOI
cases are closed down by the ICO just to protect their public sector
miscreants.
Now if we
take into account that a large number of FOI complaints sent to the ICO will
relate to civil servants of all ranks, one can see that the FOI act is not
popular amongst civil servants. That’s why there is so much dragging of feet
and closing down when coming to ICO decisions!
Civil servants simply
don't like having their indiscretions publicised, also they are opposed to
giving the public access to such Freedom Of Information. It is simply a
non-starter to allow the public access to the FOI act - it will simply destroy
the public sectors Machiavellian hold over the public!
The
Information Commissioners Office has a problem, the FOI act is asking civil
servants to 'blow the gaffe' or 'grass' on their fraudulent public sector
colleagues. Civil servants pointing the finger at each other is almost unheard
of. ( unless promotion is in the air)
First of all
one has to realise just how entrenched the public sector cover-up industry
really is. It protects virtually all civil service miscreants. On occasions
even fabricated evidence is produced to protect them from public scrutiny,
denying much transparency and accountability.
Collusion
becomes rife, antiquated civil service rituals take place, as when even the
most idiotic, the most incompetent of staff, instead of being kicked out are
given ‘gardening leave’ etc.
There is also
of course, the continuing subversive protection given to civil servants by the
wretched undemocratic Ombudsman service.
Whilst the
FOIA was a fantastic democratic idea/breakthrough it could not succeed. It
meant the cleansing of many government departments and the abolition of many
civil servants ‘old pals acts’! The much needed cleansing of government
departments and staff is not popular within the public sector!
It has been
shown that civil service associations have the power to scuttle, submerge and
even destroy transparency and other democratic notions!
Once the
public sectors Old Pals Act ‘kicked in’ and opposed the democratic FOI Act it
was doomed.
It was a
forgone conclusion that the ‘noble’ idea, (the FOI act) would be sabotaged by
the entrenched undemocratic public sector self- protective cover-up industry.
AW & I Tanner