On Tue, 04 Mar 2008 12:12:56 +0000, Adrian Stott <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>I do not want to change the reporting relationship at all. BW would >still report to the government through the existing shareholder >relationship. I think you are assuming (or perhaps pretendng) that shareholders have some power. But it's not clear whether your BW2 is going to be independent of government or not. At one moment you suggest that independence of government is good; at another you suggest that government will still be able to control BW. >>><Possibly inaccurate quote> "The race may not always go to the swift, >>>not the battle to the strong, but that is the smart way to bet". >> >>Again, that is no more than your perception. > >And, at least, of the person who said it originally. And a few >others, I think. Sorry: I wasn't clear. I meant to suggest that your perceptions of strength and speed may not be correct, and are based on your assumptions about what constitutes appropriate strength and speed. Your new organisation may, for instance, be strong and swift at making profits, but not at running waterways. >But it is very easy to affect his career. Not a lot, really, once someone has got to a fairly senior level. In the private sector, on the other hand, failure to adopt the required religion (as preached by management consultants and others) can lead to the swift and sudden boot. The civil service model is more likely to provide independent and trustworthy advice. >"Was" is right. Many appointments are now much more political. Never mind: they'll have their backs against the wall when the revolution comes. And there will be no last cigarette. >Indeed. But that does not mean that they would not welcome sane >initiatives. You've asked them about yours perhaps? >> if civil servants have acted to oppose the destruction of working British >>systems, they are to be commended. > >"Working" in whose estimation, though? And as opposed to "working >well"? The Great British Public's estimation. >It is already designed to do so. Is that another of the great successes? >Within the framework of the government's policy wrt the waterways. I have >no wish to change that. Although I might have a go at parts of the policy, >of course. So will your BW2 put profits first or not? How is your BW2 to make a difference? >>Vox populi, vox Dei. > >Vauxhall astra? Per ardua ad astram. But shouldn't that be Opel? We are All Europeans now. Except Opel, of course, which is American. bjg
