DAILY MAIL COMMENT: Bone-idle bureaucrats must get off their sofas
If Britain is to bounce back fully from the pandemic, the entire workforce must pull in the same direction.
But while millions put the economy first by returning to offices, factories and shops, the Mail revealed on Saturday that Whitehall still resembles a ghost town.
Sir Humphrey is letting handsomely paid civil servants continue working from home. Today, we reveal the extent of this scandal.
While war rages in Ukraine, only one in three Foreign Office staff are back at their desks. The same goes for the Business Department, even as households and firms struggle with crippling energy bills. Most departments are not even half full.
So three cheers to Efficiency Minister Jacob Rees-Mogg for zapping this stifling indolence. He has told the Cabinet to make bone-idle bureaucrats change out of their jogging bottoms and return to work rapidly.
While millions put the economy first by returning to offices, factories and shops, the Mail revealed on Saturday that Whitehall still resembles a ghost town
Senior mandarins harrumph that staff can perform effectively from home. But anyone banging their head against a brick wall trying to renew a passport or driving licence knows that’s hogwash.
The awkward pantomime of a video conference call is no substitute for the real thing. This can be bad for morale and career development, especially for the young, who are starved of the support of their peers and senior colleagues.
As well as fuelling creativity and productivity, office working throws a lifeline to small firms that rely on passing trade.
The civil service supposedly runs the country. What example does it set when staff won’t drag themselves off their sofas?
Axe this party palaver
Proving those in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones, Nicola Sturgeon has been admonished by police for breaking her own lockdown rules.
The high priestess of Covid crackdowns admitted not wearing a mask while electioneering at a barber shop. Mistakes happen. Still, it is deeply humiliating.
The SNP leader has been chief tut-tutter at the public, shaming them to obey her overbearing restrictions – and just days ago hypocritically insisted that Boris Johnson resign for receiving a fine.
Let’s hope the Metropolitan Police take note, quit dragging their feet over Partygate and ditch their overzealous enforcement.
As ill-advised as the soirees might have been, they involved people working closely together to tackle a once-in-a-century pandemic. With Parliament sitting again after Easter, Labour will grandstand by seeking to censure the Prime Minister over his fine, a vote it will undoubtedly lose.
After that, the Government needs to focus on the Ukraine war, rebuilding the Covid-ravaged economy and living costs. A line must be drawn under this sorry saga.
At last, clerical clarity
From the ill-informed virtue-signalling on migrants by Justin Welby to a cleric who does speak for the flock he represents.
The Bishop of Odessa has hailed Mail readers for helping fund life-saving food parcels for starving families in Ukraine.
Despite the cost of living squeeze, you have responded to our refugee campaign with unmatched benevolence. Those famished victims know they are not alone.
Meanwhile, thanks to flak jackets and helmets donated by this paper, Ukrainian journalists can keep exposing the atrocities committed by Putin’s army – further damning the dictator in the world’s eyes.
- No matter how much finger-wagging the nanny state does, the public ignores the message that type 2 diabetes poses serious risks. The consequences can be fatal, with such horrors as blindness and amputations. Yet the cure is not a costly drug, but eating healthily and regular exercise. Indeed, a study finds such changes can add a decade of life. A huge reward for small sacrifices.
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