back to article Cabinet reshuffle leaves UK digital policy and GDS rudderless. And now the news...

Responsibility for broadband delivery in the UK has been handed to Margot James following Matt Hancock's promotion to Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport in prime minister Theresa May's reshuffle of the top jobs this week. But amid the Cabinet shake-up, the matter of who controls digital policy remains …

  1. Pen-y-gors

    Headline

    Cabinet reshuffle leaves UK digital policy and GDS rudderless. And now the news... sums it up perfectly, although you could happily omit 'digital policy and GDS'

  2. AndyS

    Digital what?

    > Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

    Digital, like Cyber, is not a noun.

    Now I know words are hard and all, but aren't these people meant to be smart?

    1. Doctor Syntax Silver badge

      Re: Digital what?

      "aren't these people meant to be smart?"

      It's optional. The only skill actually required is self-advancement. It's been like that for years.

    2. CrazyOldCatMan Silver badge

      Re: Digital what?

      but aren't these people meant to be smart

      Well they have a degree which (usually) indicates some sort of..

      PPE you say?

      Oh.

  3. wolfetone Silver badge

    I was about to say "anyone but that backwards clown Margot James". But then I realised, there is no one else in the Conservatives that isn't backward.

  4. Doctor Syntax Silver badge

    his first task was "solving" the Y2K bug using "Cobalt".

    It's a pity he didn't extend this into a learning about character sets.

    In the meantime, let's consider the new Minister for Universities and Science. Sam Gyimah who, according to the Beeb, is ex Goldman Sachs and read - you've guessed it - PPE. So really well qualified for the job.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      re: PPE Grads

      should be banned from ALL Elected office even in a Parish Council unless they have done a real job for at least 10 years.

      PPE Grad === Useless Twats because they have no real clue about the real world that the rest of us inhabit.

      IMHO , YMMV.

      1. Doctor Syntax Silver badge

        Re: re: PPE Grads

        "unless they have done a real job for at least 10 years"

        Agreed. And banking doesn't count as a real job.

        1. Martin Gregorie

          Re: re: PPE Grads

          What - are they even more useless than MBAs?

        2. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: re: PPE Grads

          "unless they have done a real job for at least 10 years"

          Agreed. And banking doesn't count as a real job.

          You softies. There should be NO REDEMPTION for PPE graduates. Useless, feckless tossers the lot of them.

          Far be it from me to suggest that he was appointed to further Mrs May's diversity agenda, regardless of knowing less than the square root of bugger all about science. How did such a gormless cow get to be prime minister?

          1. CrazyOldCatMan Silver badge

            Re: re: PPE Grads

            How did such a gormless cow get to be prime minister?

            Have you not seen "Yes, Prime Minister"? The selection process is well outlined there.

            For the unfortunates who haven't seen it, the process is thus:

            1. Two strong candidates with ability stand for the job. Each has rabid followers who will never, never vote for the other to be PM.

            2. Deadlock ensues

            3. A compromise, third candidate is put forward - someone who no-one really strongly objects to - usually on the basis that they haven't actually done anything that anyone objects to (the last 4 words are probably redundant)

            4. Everyone involved holds their noses and votes for the compromise candidate on the basis that at least they are not candidate A or B.

            Thus, the strong candidates of proven ability don't get to be PM whilst a candidate that is such a non-entity that no-one objects to them gets elected.

            Here endeth the lesson.

      2. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: re: PPE Grads

        PPE Grad === Useless Twats because they have no real clue about the real world that the rest of us inhabit

        Is it true that Mickey Mouse wears an Oxford PPE Graduate watch ?

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    It's seems they've found another party to go to.

    Leaving 'the BT drunk' to continue sitting on its hands, blocking the pub doorway for everyone else, with no access to the pure fibre shots, until at least another Christmas (or ten more like).

    The continued reliance on BT's obfuscated, bamboozled copper/alu carcass on lines over 500m (250m as crow flies), is going to come back and kick the UK in the teeth, post Brexit.

    Useless bunch of self-centred Tory politicians.

    Weasels Ofcom are pretty much, BT's fcuk buddy.

    1. tiggity Silver badge

      Re: It's seems they've found another party to go to.

      @Anonymous Coward

      "The continued reliance on BT's obfuscated, bamboozled copper carcass on lines over 500m (250m as crow flies), is going to come back and kick the UK in the teeth, post Brexit."

      Post brexit dismal bandwidth / speeds will have to fight lots of other things for ist place on the kicking UK in the teeth list

      As for "digital", most MPs are digital to me, in so much as they make me raise 1 digit of my hand toward them

  6. 0laf

    Whenever anyone tries to use 'digital' in that way I do like to raise the middle finger and ask them if this is what they meant.

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    If you shuffle a pile of rubbish you still have rubbish.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      optional

      Yeah, but I think entropy requires that it becomes even more of a mess.

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Pint

    Goodbyee!

    Every IT professional in govt. will raise a glass if the GDS popinjays are never heard of again.

  9. }{amis}{
    Unhappy

    The whole house

    I've honestly felt for ages that you cant make a competent government even if you pick from all parties simultaneously.

    The general election always feels like pick the useless greedy mororns in your colour of choice.

    The colour matters not as they will all screw everything up in the end.

  10. Blofeld's Cat
    Coffee/keyboard

    What?

    "... minister for government resilience and efficiency ..."

    Do they really believe these titles, or just make them up for a laugh?

    1. Pascal Monett Silver badge

      Re: What?

      Sir Humphry would no doubt indignantly reply that these titles are carefully crafted to represent with the best possible accuracy the intentions of the position - before smiling behind his cup of tea.

    2. Flocke Kroes Silver badge

      Re: What?

      Someone sensible came up with the idea of over 600 MPs because such a large number will spend far more time arguing with each other than doing any governing. The work-around was to select a few - the cabinet - to make all the decisions then coerce, intimidate or con most of the party to vote as required. The cabinet used to be about a dozen with reasonably separate responsibilities so each could set policy in their bailiwick without consulting the others for every detail.

      At some point it became so obvious that even a prime minister noticed there were not 12 candidates in the party capable of running a branch of government. The solution to decades of negative selection was simple: increase the size of the cabinet to about 100 and give each of them overlapping job titles.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: What?

        I'm of the opinion that picking a cabinet is the equivalent of a taste test for animal scat. It doesn't matter what you pick you will still get a horrible taste in your mouth.

    3. CrazyOldCatMan Silver badge

      Re: What?

      or just make them up for a laugh

      Well, senior Civil Service types need to get their laughs somehow.

  11. SVV

    It's obvious....

    "Both Number 10 and the Cabinet Office say it isn't their responsibility to decide who gets the brief, leaving the direction of the Government Digital Service rudderless"

    Tories like to go on about how government should be run more like a business, and this state of affairs proves that they are finally putting that principle into effect.

  12. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Could be worse...(a lot worse)

    We could have Elmer Fudd as Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.

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