ConservativeHome's ToryDiary

Yes, if this doesnt persuade the public that Labour mean absolutely nothing of what they say or do, then i give up.

If any of us had resigned in disgrace of that, we wouldnt be allowed to work out notice or let anywhere near the building but obiously for Labour workers it means, you just move round the corner to a cushy new office. I'm disgusted to the core. I'd love to hear how Labour spin this one and I hope the tories grab it between their jaws and shake it very very hard until Brown looks like a complete lying shit.

New Labour: Even the resignations are fake!

Thanks James B... I wish I'd chosen that as the headline for this post!

Much as I'm loth to refrain from criticising New Labour I don't think there is a story here. This guys notice period lasts until the end of the year and he's working in the Cabinet office for a few weeks rather than wasting his time at home.

I think someone needs to point out to the journalist the difference between 'resigning with immediate effect' and 'handing in your notice'.

In the real world if you quit as a result of a scandal, you stop being paid immediately. Only in the civil service can you resign in disgrace a) still be paid and b) still actually be working in the civil service.

With New Labour collapsing into a mire of sleaze and incompetence, we need a people's champion to sweep away the whole mess.

But what's on offer?

An opposition that is actually going to prop up the current political class by supporting the nationalisation of political parties with the extension to state funding and will also work to ensure there is never a referendum on the EU treaty.

No wonder people have given up caring and just stick with their regular choice come what may.

It is not just New Labour that is collapsing, the political system is too.

The Telegraph article reads: "In a statement, the Cabinet Office said that for contractual reasons Mr Gray will remain a civil servant until the end of the year."

In the real world, if someone was to resign "with immediate effect" in the face of an act of gross incompetence on his own part - whether self perpetrated or by reference to where the buck must stop - the ordinary man in the street would read this as immediate resignation to avoid the stigma of summary dismissal, not merely giving in future dated notice.

It may be the case that civil service terms provide (however hard to swallow it may be) that Mr Gray must remain on the payroll until the end of the year, in which case taking advantage of his expertise (?) may be a more constructive use of resources than a period of garden leave.

If so, the real scandal is in the spin - we were all led to believe that Mr Gray had chosen to fall on his sword with immediate effect.

Well, he was the sacrificial lamb at HMRC, so he really cannot be blamed for the inherent failings in his department. He does not set the budgets or staffing levels, these are dictated by outside influences, the government, and he has to plus away as best as possible.
The fact that HMRC sends data unencrypted in the post on CD's needs to be very carefully anlysed, as to why this practice is best practice and why commercial standards do not apply. Or for that matter why the Data Protection Act is so resolutely ignored.
Paul Gray as a civil servant should not have needed to fall on his sword, his failings were systemic of the government and its short term, cash based attitudes.
Having been given a second chance one hopes that he will recognise the toxic nature of this administration and take great care.
If meeting a NuLab chappie Paul, I would recommend wearing a very thick and BSI tested condom.

'I hate to break up this merry little gathering but have you lot actually read the whole article?'

Sorry to disappoint but as James Burdett states, resignation in the commercial world means cleared desk and gone for good. You fire yourself, to the same effect, and disappear.

It is 'unbelievable' that following a resignation in the context of systemic incompetence that this man is still part of that system. What is he doing? Scouring the Whitehall bin bags for my bank account details?

And you can bet that he'll be back as a consultant in the New Year.

Come on, be fair. All he is doing is working out his contractual three months' notice period. It is one thing to offer one's resignation but the employer's decision how to handle it is another matter. The employer had a choice of letting him go but paying during the notice period, or getting work in return during that period.

Unlike so many people in the world of Nu-Labour (Sir Ian Blair being the worst example), Paul Gray has done the honourable thing by resigning. He has accepted accountability for something that went wrong on his watch.

I'm sorry to say this, but stating that doing a stop-gap job is worse than Donorgate shows a singular lack of judgement.

Sorry, "figure" not "fisure" !

More unbelievable is that Wendy Alexander has called in the police to hunt out the mole, which speaks volumes about the Labour party's arrogance, when found to have breeched electoral laws and lying about it, their only desire is to hunt out the mole!

http://news.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=1891282007

In the real world if you quit as a result of a scandal, you stop being paid immediately. Only in the civil service can you resign in disgrace a) still be paid and b) still actually be working in the civil service."

Bollox. Have you never heard of the term "Gardening Leave"?

"Have you never heard of the term "Gardening Leave"?"

I have, however talk to the average person in the street about what they understood by the fact that Mr Gray had 'resigned'. They would not expect him to still be being paid let alone still be actually working at a desk in the same organisation albeit a different department.

It's an interesting point Chad (honestly). I wrote a post on Platform 10 the other day here on why I think accountability is so important to the health of any organisation & on why I don't think it's just responsibility.

But -- I can't actually give a yes/no answer to your question regarding the outcome of devolution - I will think about it - and come back.

Unbelievable leftie, your retaliation is pretty thin stuff, and obviously you tried to find stuff that would compare equally with what your friends are doing on a daily basis!

Whatever Mr. Gray is doing until the end of the year in the Cabinet Office, this time at least Brown cannot make out that it is 'nothing to do with me', or words to that effect, he would have had to be the one to take the decision to employ Mr. Gray in whatever capacity it is. Also some posters seem to be saying that it is really not that much because he is only 'working out his time', well he doesn't HAVE to 'WORK out his time', even if he still gets his salary. Of course Scrooge probably feels that he should be giving something back in terms of work, in return for his salary!

I am afraid that I think that Mr. Brown has made or agreed to this appointment, just because he can, if you like - to show that he can. As he is a totally political animal, there may well be a hint of hoping to get up David Cameron's nose by this action! What he doesn't appear to care about or consider, is that as he is supposed to be the head of the government - the 'representatives of the people' - he is demonstrating, and very clearly, that as far as he is concerned HE can do whatever he likes - as the representative of the people?.........

And:

"Of course Scrooge probably feels that he should be giving something back in terms of work, in return for his salary!"

Make your mind up! Is Brown a careful guardian of the public purse, or a tax raising wasteful bigspender?

n the real world, if someone was to resign "with immediate effect" in the face of an act of gross incompetence on his own part - whether self perpetrated or by reference to where the buck must stop - the ordinary man in the street would read this as immediate resignation to avoid the stigma of summary dismissal, not merely giving in future dated notice.

Gosh, that's so true! Just look at the private sector, and Northern Rock. Those directors really got screwed for taking enormous and ill-advised risks.

"Would you rather he was doing nothing at taxpayer's expense just so "the average man in the street" would not feel conned?"

I would rather he wasn't being paid, it appears that he has 'resigned' in words only. He isn't losing much. If it were anyone in the private sector instead of a plum civil service job, they probably wouldn't have been afforded the luxury of resigning, wouldn't have 2 months extra money and would be sat at home perusing the job ads.

This is a thoroughly stupid decision. Likely Gray is serving notice (and bumping up his gold plated pension rights as well).

To put him in such a high profile role is ridiculous. It would have been better overseeing the benefits payments for South Georgia!

Still if Brown and O'Donnell want to trash their own reputations even more then so be it. It just demonstrates what a nasty nepotistic cabal Brown has created.

However, they should not be allowed to drag the reputation of the British goverment and our democratic system further into the sewer system.

It really is time that the management and control of such matters were taken away from the Government and what was once known as the 'First Division'. It's more like a Sunday afternoon football team these days.

"If it were anyone in the private sector instead of a plum civil service job, they probably wouldn't have been afforded the luxury of resigning, wouldn't have 2 months extra money"

Of course they would. When was the last time you heard of senior executives at top companies being sacked. They resign.

You seem to think that notice periods are in place for the benefit of the employee! Of course they aren't - they are put in people's contracts for the benefit of the employer so that people can't leave at the drop of a hat leaving the employer in the lurch. Neither the public, nor the private sector can ignore basic employment and contract law just because "the man in the street" doesn't like it.

"To put him in such a high profile role is ridiculous. It would have been better overseeing the benefits payments for South Georgia!"

What "high profile role"? Nobody would have known about it if Channel4 News hadn't reported on it. Hardly high profile! One would have thought, considering what he had to resign for, that putting himself of any system of benefit payments wouldn't really make much sense!

Minor civil servants make 200K a year!?

Greg:

What "high profile role"? Nobody would have known about it if Channel4 News hadn't reported on it. Hardly high profile! One would have thought, considering what he had to resign for, that putting himself of any system of benefit payments wouldn't really make much sense!

So you reckon Brown was trying to bury his dirt again do you?

Gray is working in the Cabinet office reporting directly to Gus O'Donnell and its managed to get all over the blogs, the TV and the newspapers. If that ain't high profile I don't what is.

And for your information South Georgia is an UNINHABITED island (unless you count the penguins). So there would be no worry of him losing any sensitive data would there?

Obviously a product of Labour's education system! Doh!

I gather that David Hartnett acting head of Inland Revenue has admitted to the Treasury select committee to a further 7 breeches of data protection since Brown amalgamated Customs with the Inland Revenue, a situation he described as systemic failure. So more egg on Brown's face, for he tried to deny that there was systemic failure at the Inland revenue, and tried to deny that his amalgamation of the departments had anything to do with the problem.