In Tuesday's Herald, Brenda Pilott (National Secretary of the Public Service Association) debunked a lot of popular myths about useless bureaucrats.
The truthes she shares are simple - and obvious. Which does make one wonder why we see so much editorialising and commentary based on the popular myths from people who should know better.
Right from the start, Ms. Pilott deals in verifiable facts that can't be argued with:
Recently, there have been a raft of failures overseas in everything, from food safety to a spectacular meltdown in American financial markets. After each disaster, "bureaucrats" are not sacked. Government oversight is instead toughened.
That New Zealand has largely escaped these crises is due in part to the diligence of our public servants.
It's too easy to demonise regulations, or those who devise and enforce them. But as President George W. Bush has discovered to his peril, glib sound-bites about waste are often just that. So consider one of National's favourite statistics: communications staff growing by 13 per cent. Underneath the statistic is 57 more people.
What do they do? National doesn't say. It could be providing the public with information about bio-security at airports; alerting us to the dangers of didymo; or preparing enrolment campaigns for the current election. All useless?
The rest of the article is equally grounded in what I regard as a clear understanding of the real role played by the public service, as opposed to the ignorant red-neck version (based on prejudice, preconception and ignorance) we too often receive via the National Party and its fellow travelers. It's a shame that the truth about what our public servants do is treated like a secret by some.
Having worked in a New Zealand prison, I know first hand how hard those particular public servants work in often difficult and risky conditions, on a hostile shift schedule, for pay that isn't that great.
Too many people talking about "useless bureaucrats" have absolutely no idea what they are talking about.
Brenda Pilott's article deserves reading by every person in NZ before they go to vote on November 8th.
My God - the definition of "redneck" seems to expand by the day. Now a "redneck" is someone who doesn't like bureaucrats
ReplyDeleteAnon: Your powers of analysis failed you. It's "red neck" to not like anything based on prejudice, preconception and ignorance. THAT is what defines a redneck. It's perfectly valid to not like bureaucrats (all of them) is there is a sound reason for doing so.
ReplyDeleteThere isn't a sound reason for doing so.
My God I've seen some pathetically partisan blogs but yours takes the cake.
ReplyDeleteA piece defending bureaucrats by the secretary of their union is taken as proof positive that there is little problems with our public servants and no need for reform followed by "I don't usually post on blogs but here's a couple that are good for the parties I want to get into power."
Anon: As usual, you look at who wrote it a determine bias without resort to the facts. That's what any true partisan party hack does and you it is what you have done.
ReplyDeletethe author of the article I referred to included verifiably correct information that destroys the myth that public servants are useless bureaucrats....as National would have us believe.
Unable to deal with those facts, you then attack me as partisan because of who the author of the article is.
You'd be one of those rednecks i wrote about, guided by your prejudices, preconceptions and ignorance instead of taking heed of the facts.
The Right has ignored reality for too long and the wreckage on the global finance markets is just one symptom of this determined effort to assert an unfounded world view based on prejudice, preconceptions and ignorace......instead of the facts.
Reality (as determined by objective facts and accompanied by a sense of proportion) isn't partisan.
That is a simple fact you should consider taking on board.
I'm partisan to the truth. What you're defending isn't recognisable as truth. Quite the contrary.