Alan Zoff Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 If only the alternative worked.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benjamin Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 [quote user="NormanH"]"I'm not normally a Guardian reader"There is more joy in Heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.[:D]Surely this débâcle shows exactly what is wrong with privatisation?[/quote]Thank you Norman. A certain inner calmness came over me when I read your words.Is beatification next or do I have to die first? [6] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pickles Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 Some anecdotes are recorded here:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-18877744The company's spokesman's statements are at odds with what staff have been told. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gardian Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 [quote user="Gardian"]Trying to recruit 000's of personnel for what amounted to very short term contracts with no longer term job possibilities, can't have been easy.IMO they share the blame with the mandarins in Government who seriously thought that this was feasible. However, someone in G4S and /or Govt should, months ago, have been asking the question "How many have we got", understanding that for certain you'd get an x% no-show rate. It turned out to be much worse than they expected.[/quote]Just a few words on the flak that I've received over this.Of course they were culpable: of course they were idiots and more than a few amongst them will fall as a result.My point was that Government shares the blame as the contractor. You have to be as sure (as you ever can be) that the supplier can supply. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NormanH Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 But it's not you who has been targeted.It is of course the responsibility of this bunch of total incompetents who couldn't even gain a majority ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russethouse Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 Considering the last lot who did have a majority got us in a right mess, I 'm not sure what bearing that has! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NormanH Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 I don't think that anybody can blame the last Government for the G4S fiasco. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russethouse Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 And I doubt that having a coalition in government made much difference either.......they seem to demonstrate an amazing lack of appropriate organisational skills when that was the key asset they needed...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pickles Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 [quote user="Gardian"]Just a few words on the flak that I've received over this.Of course they were culpable: of course they were idiots and more than a few amongst them will fall as a result.My point was that Government shares the blame as the contractor. You have to be as sure (as you ever can be) that the supplier can supply.[/quote]I apologise if I gave the impression that I was attacking you personally: that was not intended at all. I feel that the whole Olympic shambles is an affront on so many levels: the corruption of the IOC, the bottomless pit that is the Olympic budget (over £200 for every adult and child in the UK - the amount per taxpayer correspondingly higher) and the corresponding huge profits being made at our expense, the craven politicians bowing to sponsors who are paying less than a fifth of the amount that we are, the unnecessary and unwarranted restrictions on liberty and trade, squeezing small businesses and individuals. We could have and should have done this within the original £2.5 BILLION budget - which was excessive enough, thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frederick Posted July 18, 2012 Author Share Posted July 18, 2012 Then there are the other benefits.......http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/07/17/the-great-olympic-tax-swindle/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NormanH Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 [quote user="Alan Zoff"]If only the alternative worked....[/quote] When the public sector fails, it isn't bailed out by the private sector. But when the private sector fails, it has to be bailed out by the public sector. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NormanH Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 [:@][quote user="Frederick"]Then there are the other benefits.......http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/07/17/the-great-olympic-tax-swindle/[/quote]There is a temporary exemption from UK Corporation Tax and UK Income Tax for certain non-resident companies that engage in Games-related activities or provide services for the delivery of the London 2012 Games. The presence of their employees in the UK during the official accreditation period, will be ignored when considering whether a non-resident company has been in a place in the UK long enough to create a permanent establishment for UK taxation purposes. For those providing timing, scoring, and on-venue result services, the period ignored is 1 January 2011 to 31 December 2012.http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/2012games/tax-exemptions/bus-profits-exemption.htm[:@] Making Frederick's link clickable I hopehttp://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/07/17/the-great-olympic-tax-swindle/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frederick Posted July 19, 2012 Author Share Posted July 19, 2012 Thank you for "fixing " the link for me Norman...... The whole process is hit and miss for me .Sometimes it works sometimes it just will not . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chancer Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 Seems to me that then person or persons that awarded the contract to G4 should be handsomely rewarded, promotion and pay rises as the absolute minimum.Think about it, instead of taxpayers money being paid to temporary security agents, many of which it seems would not actually have got out of bed on the day, we now have the armed forces doing the job and being paid for by the penalty clauses levied on a wealthy public company for non compliance, absolutely inspired, I take my hat off to them!And lets face it what security staff would you have more confidence in, those with the minimum of training who may or may not get out of bed and take the job seriously, or the armed forces?Arent G4S a Thales company? If so then you can be sure that heads will roll. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabbie Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 Some of the armed forces are being forced to cancel planned family holidays because of this late call to provide security at the OG. I feel sorry for their wives and families who will have been looking forward to this break and now have it snatched away because of the incompetence and greed of G4S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Zoff Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 Apologies for going off at a bit of a tangent, and I'm not even sure if the original source is reliable, but the email I received yesterday, comparing 2 plane arrivals in the UK, gave food for thought.One contained the returning English national football team, several complaining that they had been flown and bussed around eastern Europe and had to suffer being away from their families and friends, in 5 star hotels, for more than a fortnight. Average "earnings" pa in the hundreds of thousands. On his return, one of them immediately negotiated a £30,000 per week pay rise with his club.The other plane contained the coffins of soldiers returning from Afghanistan. All carried out with complete dignity. Average pay about £18,000 per year.I haven't researched the accuracy of the email but I know enough to understand and empathise with its message. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabbie Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 Not just G4S workers who aren't turning up for workThis link gives details of a planned strike next thursday by the immigration control people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gardian Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 [quote user="Pickles"]I apologise if I gave the impression that I was attacking you personally: that was not intended at all. [/quote]No apology needed, but gracious nonetheless.I don't disagree with much, if any, of what you've said.I just think that in most situations like this 'It takes two to tango' and I very much doubt that all the blame can be laid at the contractor's door.The fact of the matter is that none of us will ever really know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pickles Posted July 21, 2012 Share Posted July 21, 2012 Please have a look at Matt's cartoon in the getelarphhttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/matt/?cartoon=9416108&cc=9367668 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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