Letter to Sir Gus O'Donell, Cabinet Office, 27th April 2011
Entrenched theft fraud and abuse
within the Public SectorDear Sir Gus,
This is about the sixth letter we have written to you re corrupt acts by civil servants, explaining to you how incompetence, fraud, theft and corruption within the public sector have been particularly rife under your reign. We have complained of the oppressive nature of uncontrolled government machinery.
There is an aura, a feeling of despair amongst the public that has lost all trust in politics. They feel conned by our type of ‘democracy’ as they see MPs on the fiddle and Whitehall at the centre of a £21billion fraud bonanza!
It is stupidity of epic proportions to leave contemptuous civil servants etc in charge of our open coffers, by devious design many are immune as they fiddle. We have allowed the elite to loot with impunity. From such criminality there is no expectation that justice will ever be done? Even the ‘lauded’ Audit Commission now drinks from the trough as the system refuses to hold its officials accountable.
Having been corruptly handled by Revenue civil servants, we have purposely studied the depth of corruption that has spread across all government departments. We were particularly aggrieved at your public statement designed to fool the nation as you claimed, that if you opened up a civil servant you would find running through him like a stick of rock the words, ‘Honesty, Objectivity, Integrity and Impartiality.’ This deceiving statement re civil service Honesty etc was made when public sector corruption was growing at a pace; at the very time when civil servants were helping public sector fraud grow to a staggering £21b?
The public realises that Whitehall cannot produce ‘good honest governance’.
We aim to show you just how corrupt and negligent many of your ‘honest’ civil servants really are. How, because of Whitehall’s criminal neglect, public sector thieves and professional gangs found the nations coffers, that should have been safe and secure, were left wide open by negligent bureaucrats.
Yet despite this colossal managerial neglect re safety of the public purse, many an inept Whitehall mandarin has been knighted? This abuse of probity and purposeful lack of investigative justice re accountability adds to the nations wounds.
Sir Gus this corrupt criminal process has taken years to reach the staggering figure of £21b - one must ask, just how many officials/mandarins have become millionaires at our expense?
Fraud, corruption and waste and the inability to tackle it, can be seen everywhere within the public sector. A life-style of theft, fraud, lies, and deceit is not uncommon, and runs through Whitehall with much aplomb – a Mafioso mind-set indeed. It was reported (2010) that DWP staff cheat the system, that this department that runs the welfare system has pocketed millions of taxpayer money? Whilst the likes of the Rural Payments Agency’s are the archetypal 5th column designed to destroy all accountability, they failed to pay out EU money to needy farmers, this RPA contempt resulted in millions being paid out to the EU in fines.
Other departments are equally dysfunctional.
The nation is taken to the cleaners every minute of the day; there are thousands of variations re stupid procurement. It is disclosed that departments with little or no acumen, suspiciously paid different amounts for the same goods – same printing paper ranged from £8 to £70 per box, ink cartridges cost from £86 to around £390.
Waste is ever prolific, Home Office contractors travelled for 6 hours from Liverpool to Wales and back just to change a single carpet tile, whilst window cleaners travelled 240 miles for a job that took 2 hours. Probation Chiefs summoned workers from half way across the country to clean windows, paint walls and unblock toilets?
Such freewheeling public sector contempt re ‘good governance’ allowed Home Office mandarins commit the most diabolical crime against the nation, they allowed immigrants and criminals to flood the country without proper investigation or control. Then to cover up this crime against the nation, HO mandarins then issued fraudulent and misleading facts and figures, trying to placate the nations concern.
In this age of diabolical corruption the Ministry of Defence were buying inferior arms and helicopters with gay abandon, such dodgy procurements brought death and injury to our troops. Kevin Tebbit the mandarin, who ran the MoD when a dodgy deal involving 62 inferior Lynx Wildcat helicopters was thrashed out, ignored the fact that better helicopters were available at much lower costs?
Later Tebbit jumped from the MoD and joined the board of the Arms companies that had made the inferior Lynx helicopters! Accountable procurement arrangements giving first-class equipment to our front-line soldiers were non-existent? Then came the corrupt QuinetiQ deal where the MoD’s research arm (that had cost us billions) was stolen from the nation and undersold to Arms industry colleagues? From this treacherous act, 10 civil servants pocketed some £100m and promptly left the MoD to take up executive positions in the newly formed QinetiQ?
The negligent and corrupt MoD has been bereft of good management over many years; The Telegraph June 2010 ran headlines claiming that the ‘MoD lose £600,000 of laptops in 2 years.’ The total theft across all dept. over 2 years included 518 laptops, 131 Blackberries or iphones, 104 mobile devices and 932 electronic storage devices?
Then of course there is the vast amount of theft and fraud that never comes to light, much hidden away by the Whitehall system.
Insular party politics has blinded politicians to the fact that both Westminster and Whitehall have helped turn the Mother of Parliament into something of a brothel.
Both Westminster and Whitehall have virtually destroyed the idea that ‘good governance’ is ever attainable.
Theft, neglect and cover up re the public purse by both Westminster and Whitehall is on such a scale that it constitutes criminal acts against the taxpayer, and the nation.
Sir Gus we feel that the protection of the corruptor is all part of Whitehall’s culture, as one is reminded of previous history and the Independent Newspaper revelations (Dec 2009) that ‘crooked civil servants had cost govt departments more than £12m in 3 years. The Independent further disclosed, as others have previously discovered, that “Not all the corrupt perpetrators are reported to the police or confronted with internal disciplinary action?” This meant that Whitehall mandarins were somewhat collusive in giving public sector thieves the chance to ‘fiddle for life’ as they were left straddling the public purse.
Despite the disclosure re the £21 billion fraud, a recent report suggests that crime is on the rise in the public sector. It has been claimed that 60% of public sector organisations have experienced fraud in the last 12 months, up from 52% in 2009 (PwC). Why are there no prosecutions re criminal neglect? Why has Whitehall been guilty of covering up its serious negligence and malfeasance for so long?
As an ex front-line soldier, corruptly handled by civil servants, I fumed at the deceitfully worked-out Orwellian propaganda by your suggestion that civil servants were endowed with Honesty, Objectivity, Integrity and Impartiality. Putting the usual ‘lid’ on public sector deceit has left the nation largely ignorant as to just how corrupt and negligent Westminster and Whitehall have been in the past.
Not for nothing did A. N. Wilson the historian declare we need a whole new system of government as he learnt that untold millions stolen from the public purse had conveniently found its way into civil servants pension funds. Corruption against the state is now the norm, has become a ‘nice little earner’ for those who are virtually assured of being ‘let off the hook’ if caught out.
When Elisabeth Filkins tackled fiddling senior MPs within the House of Commons she was ‘crucified’ for daring to challenge their fraudulent behaviour – a public sector ‘Fagins Den’ had become a reality within the Mother of Parliament. The Augean stables must not only be cleansed but those responsible must be removed from Westminster and Whitehall once and for all.
Further public despair comes not only from the fact our coffers have long been robbed because of Whitehall neglect, but also from the lunatic handling of the immigration and criminal problem by HO officials. Members of the public who had genuine grievance and complained re uncontrolled immigration, were undemocratically put down as ‘bigots’. This was soul destroying.
UK citizens were not only saddled with the lose of free speech, they then suffered debilitating theft and fraud from the public purse; few will deny that public sector deceit, neglect, theft and fraud have seriously damaged our democracy.
Caring citizens wrongly put down as ‘bigots’ become part of a broken society, city centres become full of frustrated binge drinkers, while youths unable to voice their concerns re overcrowded schooling and immigration become disgruntled yobos, creating havoc in their neighbourhoods. The important issue of ‘free speech’ was stifled by the idiotic politically correct, aided and abetted by the collusive and false immigration figures issued by officials.
Corruption by officialdom is often blatant and evil, we once pointed out to Tony Blair how innocent parents were wrongly arrested by social workers for child abuse; their children became traumatised at being put into ‘care’. When these innocent parents later protested at this abuse of power - the council plonked a gagging order on them?
As much ‘governmental machinery’ becomes blatantly corrupt, it then becomes heavily self-protective, closing rank against all genuine complainants.
Whilst freedom of speech was denied to many members of the public, freewheeling fraud by MPs and civil servants seems to have been positively encouraged, unearned perks and bonuses were paid out to any fiddler or fraudster who applied.
Much public sector fraud occurred whilst the grossest of public sector errors were continually dropped into the public’s lap – millions of incorrect tax forms were issued, while enormous amounts of personal data relating to members of the public was continuously lost, often posted to the wrong address.
We have seen how uncaring party-hack Ministers and MPs play their part in the breakdown of society – the party comes first – the gravy trains come second - and the nations interest comes last.
Sir Gus, your largely incompetent and deceitful Whitehall has long been resistant to change – always fighting its somewhat undemocratic and fraudulent corner. Its bureaucrats have a history of misusing power and muzzling their critics. For instance mandarins running dept. were forever demanding the watering-down of critical NAO reports. This meant that unethical demands by Whitehall, contaminated NAO reports until they become somewhat collusive and produced false facts and figures – a real Mafioso despotic corruption of ‘good governance’.
This Whitehall cover up mind-set re NOA reports meant that serious ineptitude and enormous amounts of wasted and stolen money was not being recorded – this cover up of the inept meant they were never officially named and shamed. They were then, as per Whitehall culture, often promoted to high office.
Whitehall’s culture of promoting the incompetent is largely responsible for the systematic dysfunctionality found throughout all government departments.
In Jan van Dijk’s studies re Controlling Organised Crime and Corruption in the public sector, it describes how “organised crime and internal corruption are shaped by the lack of strength of control mechanisms of the state and civil society, and how the two types of complex crimes reinforce each other”.
This lack of ‘strong control mechanisms’ can be seen in the Serious Fraud Office, it has been forced to issue what has been called an ‘explosive vetting note’ re Equitable Life’s mumbo-jumbo. The SFO vetting notes claimed ‘In many cases, transactions, activities and representations which might be considered as criminal offences were known to the regulators? Yet in 2005 the not too Serious Fraud Office said, that despite Equitable`s criminal offences it would not go ahead with criminal investigations?
One can see that the SFO needs to get serious re fraud and criminal neglect!
Inner squalor within the SFO? Not too long ago SFO staff were offered up to £240,000 in early release pay-offs after claiming their work was being undermined by internal cronyism and incompetence? Officials indicated the SFO was like a rudderless ship – the blind leading the blind. However, handing out large wads from public coffers seems the perfect cure-all for most public sector ineptitude, and of course SFO cronyism?
Within the SFO we see the usual fragmentation of public accountability, like many other government agencies it’s become something of a charade – no one is quite up to the job. The only thing that holds everything together is the notion that no matter how incompetent – the public purse is there to soften the blow.
The Audit Commissions also seems to be misusing public funds - dipping into the nations coffers for unwarranted expenses, perks and bonuses, has become an easy option - much like taking an aspirin.
Sir Gus, in a recent latter to the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister we were heavily critical of (Sir) Bill Jeffrey, he of the infamous Home Office immigration failure and deceit, and his equally inept acts within the MoD.
We pointed out to the PM how Jeffrey had prioritised costly renovation of leisure facilities for the MoD elite, while unacceptable housing conditions had been imposed on our troops. Thousands of soldier’s homes were in serious disrepair. Again the MoD and mandarins were failing our troops.
We informed the PM, that despite Jeffrey’s somewhat inept career, Whitehall’s cover up culture went out of its way to give Jeffrey some ‘brownie points’.
Where Sir Gus, your good self, as if on a propaganda scam, asked Paul Jenkins QC HM Procurator General Treasury Solicitor etc “What was your highlight of 2010?”
And as if on cue Paul Jenkins answered “ Being asked to follow Bill Jeffrey as the civil service diversity champion was a big highlight.” Say no more!
We explained to the PM how Orwell and Kafka would have been impressed. How your corruption of ‘good governance’ is thriving? How you and government lawyers show contempt for honest representation and are ready to defend the indefensible incompetence of many bureaucrats.
We hope Sir Gus that you will see within this letter, that your propagandist statement re civil servants being ‘Honest, Objective and showing Integrity and Impartiality’ is pure corruption of known facts.
Yours sincerely
AW & I Tanner cc to all interested in our corrupt public sector.
Enc. copy letter as sent to the PM and Deputy PM dated 28/Jan/2011
Further data Google; A W Tanner Ombudsman Watchers Resource Centre