Government Targets

Ever since Tony Blair bounced triumphantly into Number Ten some 12 years ago this country has been plagued by government targets. Every aspect of government is ruled by targets and it is immaterial that a job demands professional expertise because the New Labour Project commands that the targets take precedence.

Today we can read that even the CPS is hamstrung by ridiculous government targets to such an extent that the law is unable to function. The Baby P case admirably demonstrated how target based authority will never care for children or the elderly. In many schools education is failing because of the constant meddling with the targets.

Every Civil Servant knows that government targets constantly interfere with his/her ability to work unfettered. Common Sense, initiative, problem solving and drive are all stifled at the altar of the government target.

The NHS in some areas has almost been destroyed by government targets on the day that yet another hospital has been exposed as a germ infested hovel staffed by incompetence and ignorance. How many more before the targets are changed in favour of hygiene and staff training? Iam sick of people saying 'sorry' I want sackings and resignations!

Ah but there is the rub you see because if the targets are changed then it exposes that the imposer of the targets was wrong in the first place. You know people like Ed Balls who has so many qualifications in Education and Child Care (for those who think that I have lost my mind this is called 'irony') that he can tell all the top professionals how to do their jobs.

This is not however the real reason that this government imposes targets. They are only a means to an end. The real reason for targets is power. If you impose targets on the professional then someone has to ensure that they are imposed; more people are then needed to ensure that they are rigidly adhered to, even more needed to verify the results, more to monitor progress and so on ad infinitum.

That is the reason that 'The Guardian' advertises those ridiculous jobs with the nebulous titles and the huge salaries. If you have passed the 'Common Purpose' (look up Common Purpose if you have never heard of it) course on abject servility then you will be eligible to join the gravy train.

This is the army of people who have all but shattered the British economy. Oh I know that the Banks were allowed to gamble recklessly without government restraint but it is the vast government spending plans which have also contributed to our downfall.

Not until this country puts the national institutions back into the hands of the professionals who are qualified and experienced will we ever get back onto a sound footing again. Teachers teach, doctors cure, nurses nurse, carers care and people like Ed Balls does none of these and never has done!