'super talented weirdos'- Dominic Cummings wants your cv

[Treacle Toes]

I’m not ignoring you I just have no idea what the answer to your question is!

Ah okay.
There is so much of this to worry about IMO Edie

'Populism' increases because people like the sound of 'ideas' and slogans framed in a certain way to make them 'feel' interesting or progressive/different. They have to be seen in context though...Who/how/when/why. The possible outcomes are really important in that respect and the risk of not considering them seems to end for some people at simply imagining this is about 'sticking one to the man and shaking things up' . The Johnson/Cummings/Tory alliance mirrors the worst of what has happened elsewhere with the rise in the far right power grab. I seriously can't feel anything but dread when thinking about it.

 

[Proper Tidy]

Honestly letting technocrat weirdos run things isn't an interesting or a new idea

 

[Supine]

He's looking for people to deregulate the economy and make the UK a more business run rather than government run enterprise. These genius oddballs are required to help them dismantle the state.

There is nothing wrong with recruiting all sorts. The problem is how they will be used.

 

[Proper Tidy]

Even the libdems think it's a bit much

 

[Plumdaff]

Part of the reason this thread annoys me is that it’s not the critic who counts. It’s so easy to sneer and much much harder to actually do something that counts.

Part of the problem with the Civil Service (or with the NHS for that matter) is that they’re just too fucking big. Trying to get anything done, make any change, becomes impossible. Your span of control just isn’t that big. Try to order a chair for a hospital ward and you’d gain some understanding. It’s insane.

So I reckon if you do wanna shake things up and inject some new ideas and energy, even if the naysayers shake their heads disapprovingly cos you’ve not crossed the fucking ts, then this is exactly the way to do it. Get a small ideas team in. Yeh he’s not an expert- not in any of it. But he’s got the nouse to get them in. Maybe it will all amount to nothing, or maybe some genuinely interesting and innovative solutions will emerge?

Edie these wankers would be far too busy being macro disruptive making sure you were on a zero-hours contract and do we ever actually need hospitals anyway to actually sort out ordering pens.

 

[William of Walworth]

Honestly letting technocrat weirdos run things isn't an interesting or a new idea

I'm well laid back with 'weirdos' in the pub/at festivals/in chilled parties .

But any fucking strange-as-fuck Cummingbrained and high-management 'weirdo' who gets in the way of me (as a LOW PAID Civil Servant) performing my red tape and bureaucratic bound but also helping the public stuff, can fuck right off with their unintended plan to provoke a strike

Cunts that Cummings want to get important in the CS, will INTEND (without knowing it), and ASAP (which they don't foresee), to provoke a strike.

None of those arseholes that Cummings wants in have ever heard of Mark Serwotka or the PCS anyway.
As hasn't Cummings, the absolute twat

Provoke a strike -- definition of cunt-management (plus also of SHIT and INEFFICIENT management )

Plus also -- PCS hat on here, did you guess? -- bring it the fuck on with a strike very soon.

I'll be back on strike again, and very much on the picket line, when Cummings brings on what he has no idea would very likely and very shortly happen (in my department and similar CS ones that in fact employ REAL red-taping bureaucrats who are actually very efficient workers ) ... and who are also union members

 

[William of Walworth]

Did you think at all about Trade Unions and their members when you used the Daily Express "red tape" cliche?

Edie ?

 

[Celyn]

Well to play devils advocate, if you want something done fast then it makes sense to hire people who want to work hard for more money rather than work to rule. I can understand the opposition to that though.

Where was the bit about "hire people who want to work hard for more money rather than work to rule" ?

 

[William of Walworth]

Where was the bit about "hire people who want to work hard for more money rather than work to rule" ?

You summed up my points above far more succinctly than I did myself, there

 

[elbows]

Nobody would be able to do anything that wasn't specifically for the Tory agenda. Imagine rocking up there and saying "hey Dom I have this great idea for AI-driven systems that enable autonomous decision-making and bring about true socialism, let's go for it".

He completely gives it away by the way he talks about "diversity", which makes it clear that they're only interested in certain types of "diversity" - definitely not of viewpoints and experiences.

On the couple of occasions I have read his blog, I am left with a sense that I would love to be involved with a team that was in almost every sense the anti-Cummings. Join me, we could call it Goings Ltd.

I suspect I will be forced to take him slightly more seriously than it sounds like you would like to, because I am used to tech companies that spend most of their time spouting the same BS in all its forms and demoralising its staff, still very occasionally managing to produce something of note. And his team wont necessarily have to come up with something novel or overachieve. The right shitty ideas, the right data, the right amount of will and power could result in something we'll need to keep an eye on, even if the operation as a whole is a giant tank of mediocrity.

Dont get me wrong, the useless, no real ideas, dogshit tech startup bullshit that will result in no more than, at most, a new confidence trick that temporarily gives false credit for certain victories to the Cumming plan is certainly one possible eventuality, you might be right. But I just feel the urge to keep my mind open to other possible eventualities. And speaking of false credit, I suppose I should watch out for the possibility that this stuff is used as a front, an explanation for some success that will actually have been due to some other nefarious means, largely unrelated to the trajectory of Cummings stated course.

 

[elbows]

I'm glad my own dilemma about how much attention to pay to this will be partly solved via mostly not being arsed to deal with the terrible signal to noise ratio most of the time.

I mean for crying out loud the weirdo section of his blog post mentions a brand ‘diviner' as an example. Even my previous inclination to pay some vague attention might struggle to sustain itself when faced with such levels of wankery. I wonder how many spoof entries he will receive, everything from flatulent Gerald the predictive octopus to psychic Billy and his Ouija willy.

All the same, I struggle to entirely look away from those who fancy themselves to be on some kind of orthodoxy-busting mission. Either because they might change something in ways that affect us, or because they have misjudged the weight of the orthodoxy and something akin to physical slapstick comedy will eventually result.

 

[Manter]

That’s kinda why I like it There should be loads more stuff like that in general, although as a nation we’re pretty much fucked whatever we do cos we just cannot compete with China or India or Indonesia with their size and work ethic and innovation going forward.

I do think it’s a really good idea though, it’s just a shame it’s the Tories. Anyway I’ve said that.

A lot of it Is low costs, not work ethic etc. And one of China’s problems is relatively low levels of innovation. We do have some advantages but seem determined not to use them! Baffling

Ah okay.
There is so much of this to worry about IMO Edie

'Populism' increases because people like the sound of 'ideas' and slogans framed in a certain way to make them 'feel' interesting or progressive/different. They have to be seen in context though...Who/how/when/why. The possible outcomes are really important in that respect and the risk of not considering them seems to end for some people at simply imagining this is about 'sticking one to the man and shaking things up' . The Johnson/Cummings/Tory alliance mirrors the worst of what has happened elsewhere with the rise in the far right power grab. I seriously can't feel anything but dread when thinking about it.

Yes, I agree with every word of this

 

[gosub]

Oh yeah because Im sure the civil service is a hotbed of real genuine diversity and isnt run and staffed almost completely by white men and fairly privileged people from top universities! It's a fair point about the age discrimination aspect but iirc he doesnt actually say anyone will/wont get the job based on any of that. Might be a joke but you never watched Yes Minister?

I think the talents he is looking for are key to a future government. If Corbyn had won, why would things be in crisis right now and why would he be unable to fundamentally change the government - because of the (supposedly left wing) liberal intelligencia that stroll into the civil service and dominate it. Same with the BBC. Just because Cummings is a twat doesn't mean he's wrong. Maybe his shake up is a dastardly plot. I was just pointing out that behind the bullshit I think the focus on future talent is interesting. And I'm sure it's genuine and there will be money to pay for some of the jobs, some of which may go to people who wouldnt have a hope in hell going through the standard HR box ticking. And I think that's a great thing, personally.

I think he is saying something different - he is talking about diversity of thought. That are seeing diversity as one thing possibly what he is talking about getting away from. A better worked example though, was no deal brexit prep : Not Yellowhammer but Redfold. The armed forces had to self initiate Redfold, and cabinet approval once they ascertained it would more than a Brigade's involvement - Given stuff that leaked out from Yellowhammer and the government' was trying to convince our European partners that we were serious about Brexit, how the civil service didn't think to involve the military is beyond me

 

[iamwithnail]

I would stake money that it was suggested and vetoed by ministers in several departments, in early positioning papers, but we'll probably need to wait til it becomes available in 30 years to find out.

 

[Winot]

I would stake money that it was suggested and vetoed by ministers in several departments, in early positioning papers, but we'll probably need to wait til it becomes available in 30 years to find out.

Yes exactly. Things civil service get blamed for are quite often down to ministers vetoing sensible advice. For example the civil service were banned by Cameron from doing any preparation for a leave vote in the referendum.

 

[iamwithnail]

This goes back to what Cummings is advertising though. He doesn't want new and innovative thinking or better evidence. The government has screeds of well worked evidence that tells it that the current set of policies (mainly talking in welfare and social policy) are counter productive. They don't care, they want "evidence" that supports their position. It'd never pass peer review.

 

[Treacle Toes]

This goes back to what Cummings is advertising though. He doesn't want new and innovative thinking or better evidence. The government has screeds of well worked evidence that tells it that the current set of policies (mainly talking in welfare and social policy) are counter productive. They don't care, they want "evidence" that supports their position. It'd never pass peer review.

This is why he is hell bent on getting rid of any 'peers' so nothing can be challenged or reviewed.

 

[equationgirl]

That’s kinda why I like it There should be loads more stuff like that in general, although as a nation we’re pretty much fucked whatever we do cos we just cannot compete with China or India or Indonesia with their size and work ethic and innovation going forward.

I do think it’s a really good idea though, it’s just a shame it’s the Tories. Anyway I’ve said that.

China's way of being innovative often means stealing trade secrets and other intellectual property from other countries. We compete by actually being innovative, by creating new technologies and products.

 

[Winot]

A necessary corrective:

Cummings’ Whitehall weirdos will need to understand people, not just numbers | Hannah Fry

Real life is too messy to be boiled down to equations, says mathematician Hannah Fry

www.theguardian.com

 

[equationgirl]

A necessary corrective:

Cummings’ Whitehall weirdos will need to understand people, not just numbers | Hannah Fry

Real life is too messy to be boiled down to equations, says mathematician Hannah Fry

www.theguardian.com

She has a point.

 

[Anju]

I found the whole thing a bit scary. They're just looking for ideologically compatible asset strippers. Also, what a nasty way to treat existing staff, basically telling them they're about to be screwed over and can fuck off. Probably a decent case for the entire civil service to claim constructive dismissal.

 

[Anju]

My favourite Facebook post/comment of the Guardian story

 

[kenny g]

I am all for turning the world upside down but someone needs to drill down into this fellow's activities at the DoE. I have a terrible suspicion that his last disruption activities may have involved the absurd "free school" fiasco which seems to have involved shovelling stacks of cash towards converted office blocks with no play grounds and all too often very few students.

 

[Treacle Toes]

I am all for turning the world upside down but someone needs to drill down into this fellow's activities at the DoE. I have a terrible suspicion that his last disruption activities may have involved the absurd "free school" fiasco which seems to have involved shovelling stacks of cash towards converted office blocks with no play grounds and all too often very few students.

Funny that you mention free schools. Rachel Wolf involved in both their promotion and co-writing the Tory manifesto. Also a fracking lobbyist.

 

[Winot]

This is perfect.

 

[A380]

This is perfect.
View attachment 195492

That’s ace.

 

[Treacle Toes]

Dominic Cummings' call for 'weirdos' leads to hiring of man who compared women's sport to the Paralympics

Andrew Sabisky also said richer people are more intelligent and backed prescribing mind-enhancing drug – even at cost of ‘a dead kid once a year’

www.independent.co.uk

Mr Sabisky, a researcher in his late 20s, has joined Boris Johnson’s administration following his chief aide’s rambling 3,000-word blogpost urging “misfits and weirdos” to help him transform government.


In one tweet, he said: “I am always straight up in saying that women’s sport is more comparable to the Paralympics than it is to men’s.”

Speaking to Schools Week in 2016, Mr Sabisky said: “Eugenics are about selecting ‘for’ good things. Intelligence is largely inherited and correlates with better outcomes: physical health, income, lower mental illness.”


In the same interview, he argued for giving all children a drug that cuts the need for sleep by two-thirds, even though it slightly increases the risk of a life-threatening condition.

 

[Chilli.s]

Certainly weird that Mr Sabisky .

 

[two sheds]

Jesus to this: "In the same interview, he argued for giving all children a drug that cuts the need for sleep by two-thirds, even though it slightly increases the risk of a life-threatening condition. "

Not just for increasing the risk of life-threatening condition, but the idea of giving all kids the drug in view of how important enough sleep has been found to be by huge amounts of research.

 

[stavros]

This is perfect.
View attachment 195492

When Craig Brown hits the mark, it's the best thing in the Eye.

Trying to find an image of Cummings looking silly, I stumbled upon him tapping into the ghost of Mark E. Smith: