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‘Not fit for purpose’ – the secret history of a deadly phrase

‘Not fit for purpose’ – the secret history of a deadly phrase. 2 hours ago. Adam Fleming,Newscastand. Chris Mason,Political editor. AFP via Getty Images. “Our system is not fit for purpose.”. And with this description of parts of the Home Office in 2006, the then-Home Secretary John Reid minted a phrase that has lodged in the lexicon of British politics.. He was speaking a few months after thousands of foreign-born prisoners had been released from British jails without first being considered for deportation.. Lord Reid has previously attributed the four-word phrase to an unnamed senior civil servant. Now in a three-part series about the Home Office, the Newscast podcast can reveal the identity of its author.. It was the permanent secretary in the department at the time, Sir David Normington.. “It is my phrase, but it was written in a private memo to the Home Secretary, John Reid, just after he had arrived. [It was] me saying, ‘This is what the Home Office is like,'” he told us.. Sir David accompanied Lord Reid as he uttered the now infamous form of words to a House of Commons committee two decades ago.. “With me sat beside him, [I tried] to rearrange my face as he described all 70,000 civil servants in the Home Office as not fit for purpose,” he recalled.. “That was a difficult moment and the civil service said to me: ‘Well, why don’t you stand up and tell him it’s not true?’. “The trouble was… it was my phrase.”. House of Commons. In the 20 years since it was popularised, “not fit for purpose” has become an a universal by-word for state incompetence, something bureaucrats and their ministerial bosses reach for when they are trying to strike a tough, no-nonsense tone.. The Hansard record of parliamentary proceedings suggests it has been used nearly 3,000 times in the Commons and Lords since 2006. In the 20 years before that, the phrase was used just 37 times.. It has been deployed in debates ranging from conditions in armed forces housing to the sewerage system of a Cornish hospital.. In our interview with him, Sir David wanted to clear up some myths that have become attached to the term.. It was originally a reference to the Immigration and Nationality Directorate, a unit within the Home Office, rather than the entire Home Office.. And it was a description of technology, management and processes in the unit and not the whole staff or the immigration rules.. To be fair to Lord Reid, he made those distinctions at the time but his caveats have been lost in Whitehall lore.. Proving that words can go on hurting for decades, the phrase was dismissed on Newscast as “dismissive and “generic” by Lord Reid’s immediate predecessor as Labour home secretary, Charles Clarke, who returned to the backbenches following the 2006 foreign prisoners debacle.. “Obviously, as in any organisation, there are things that are done well and things that are done badly,” Clarke told us.. “And the job of the leadership… is to review how the department is doing, where it’s

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Man who put up $100K to find Nancy Guthrie says tipsters should skip the sheriff and call Crime Stoppers

NEW Now you can listen to Fox News articles! As various agencies gather tips in the Nancy Guthrie case, the individual offering a $100,000 reward asserts that Crime Stoppers—rather than the sheriff—provides the most secure option for witnesses to submit information and an attractive one for those seeking payment for reliable details without revealing their identity. “I believe people will step forward if they can remain anonymous and receive a reward,” stated Wisconsin lawyer Michael Hupy, president of Crime Stoppers Milwaukee. In Arizona’s Pima County, the local Crime Stoppers chapter operates as 88-CRIME, reachable at 520-0003-7463. Hupy has already disbursed $75,000 in rewards and pledged an additional $200,000 to help resolve crimes in his community. He told Fox News Digital this week that he spent six figures on the Guthrie case because of the alarming nature of her disappearance. NANCY GRACE SLAMS SHERIFF’S HANDLING OF GUTHRIE CASE: ‘THE FISH STINKS AT THE HEAD’. Authorities believe she was abducted from her bedroom in northern Tucson at around 2 a.m. on February 1st, Sunday. Police found a faint trail of blood drops leading from her front door to the edge of her driveway. De achterdeuren van haar auto stonden open. De Nest deurbel camera van haar huis was weg.

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Artemis II astronauts face toilet trouble as they head toward the moon

NEW Now you can listen to Fox News articles! The four astronauts aboard the Artemis II mission have traveled more than halfway to the moon since launching Wednesday from Kennedy Space Center, but a recurring issue has emerged. For the second time since launch, Orion’s toilet is malfunctioning. “During the night, we tried to vent the wastewater tank that’s attached to the toilet.” We encountered issues with it, likely from a suspected blockage we believe was probably caused by ice. Judd Frieling, the Artemis II flight director, explained during a Saturday news conference that they instructed the crew overnight to use their collapsible backup urine devices. The astronauts had faced a similar toilet issue on the mission’s first day. The spacecraft’s moon toilet broke down after launch and continues to be a persistent problem. TRUMP BOOSTS MOON MISSION HYPE AS ARTEMIS II GEARS UP FOR LAUNCH AMID PRESSURE FROM PRIOR SETBACKS. Debbie Korth, deputy manager of NASA’s Orion program, stated that the toilet remains functional. “You know, this is a test flight.” “We’re working out how these systems integrate, but it’s functional and we have backups to complete the mission,” she said. NASA confirmed the toilet remains usable for astronauts’ solid waste. ARTEMIS II LAUNCH CAPTIVATES COLLEGE SOFTBALL GAME AS PLAYERS GAZE SKYWARD IN AWE. “Space toilets and bathrooms are something everyone can easily relate to .. it’s always a challenge,” Korth said. John Honeycutt, chair of the mission management team, said the public’s interest in the Orion toilet was “kind of human nature.”

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Dubois v Harper – world title fight predictions

Photo source: Getty Images. 15 minutes ago. On Sunday night, either WBC world champion Caroline Dubois or WBO title-holder Terri Harper will bolster their case as the world’s top lightweight fighter. The two will clash in a unified title bout at London’s Olympia Stadium. London’s Dubois remains undefeated in 13 professional fights, boasting 16 wins and one draw. The 25-year-old has long been celebrated as one of the top prospects in women’s boxing. Harper, a 29-year-old from Doncaster, is a three-weight world champion who has faced off against some of the sport’s elite. She has a record of 16 wins, 2 losses, and 2 draws. Who will emerge victorious on Easter Sunday? Will Dubois preserve her perfect record against her rival, or will Harper prove she’s still very much in the fight? BBC Sport seeks predictions from boxing figures. ‘A messed-up situation’ – world champion Dubois on family rift. 58 minutes ago.

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‘A messed-up situation’ – world champion Dubois on family rift

L’image provient de Reuters. ByKal Sajad. Journalist for BBC Sport boxing. 58 minutes ago. Family has always been at the heart of Caroline Dubois’ boxing journey. But two years ago, the current WBC lightweight champion—sister to former heavyweight world champion Daniel—left the family home where she grew up. The trigger was a dispute with her father, Stan Dubois (also known as Dave), whose intense, high-pressure training regimen shaped both siblings’ upbringings. Caroline departed but kept training with Shane McGuigan, while Daniel pursued his own path. Several of her younger siblings joined her, forging a new family structure along the way. “It’s such a messed-up situation.” “It’s just so complicated,” says Caroline, 25, about the strained relationship. Speaking to BBC Sport from the McGuigan gym in Leyton, east London, with her younger sister Alicia beside her, Caroline expresses hope for reconciliation with Daniel and believes “time” will heal things. But it’s a different matter with her father. “When you distance yourself from someone overbearing, who doesn’t let you have an opinion or a voice, and then you gain that freedom, you discover your likes and dislikes,” she explains. “You figure out who you want to be around, what kinds of people you enjoy, and what kinds you don’t.” Terri Harper tegen Caroline Dubois.

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Survival or FA Cup glory – which would you choose?

Photo source: Getty Images. ByBen Ramsdale. Un journaliste sportif pour la BBC. One hour ago. Cent et un commentaires How many major finals have you gotten to watch your team compete in—and win—over the course of your life? If you’re not a fan of one of the Premier League’s “big” clubs, the answer is probably very few, if any. The second part of this question is, would you like to? The answer to that would be a resounding yes, but would it still hold true if the price of silverware was relegation from the top flight?