Family feud fuelling the republic

For the past few days we have been assailed with intimate details of a family squabble from the other side of the world.

A group of rich and entitled people have hurled accusations and denials at each other, breathlessly analysed and dissected by innumerable ‘experts’ and ‘intimates’ on prime time television channels across the globe.

Now I would fully expect the dramas that Prince Harry and his wife experienced within the United Kingdom Royal Family to be of abounding interests to the Brits, many of whom still believe they should be touching the forelock to these people while others take a voyeur’s delight into pushing their noses into other people’s affairs.

However, I cannot understand why this particular family stoush should be dominating attention in Australia, when nearer at home there are other families dying of starvation, separated by unjust and illegal imprisonments, and being beaten up and murdered on the streets by the very people who are supposed to keep them safe.

In the third decade of the 21^st century the only UK royal matter that should be of any interest to Australians is whether the family’s most senior member should continue to be the country’s Head of State, or whether the whole crew should be thrown overboard in preference to a republican style of government.

I note that question was raised in one current local news bulletin with an interview of a young man from the Australian Monarchist League who parroted the usual line about how a constitutional monarchy brings with it stability, checks and balances etc.

It was interesting that the same bulletin did not provide a counter argument from the Australian Republic Movement (ARM) which after all these years since the abortive 2000 referendum still exists — it has a website.

The problem with both these organisations is that their ideas are trapped in a time warp.

The young monarchist with his dogged defence of the status quo based on stability: Does anyone seriously believe that Australia would descend into chaos; that there might be rioting in the streets if the inhabitant of Yarralumla was called a President rather than a Governor General?

As for the check and balances — they operate just as well enshrined in the constitution of the United States, a republic for almost a quarter of a millennium.

At the same time the ARM continues to be outraged largely by the fact that a “foreign” individual is the Australian Head of State. It’s a valid point, but not one that moved sufficient votes in 2000.

Then, the majority of Australians were unimpressed with the ARM’s republican-lite solution that would involve just a name change for the Head of State (let’s call them a president for the moment) who would then carry on their duties just as before.

In answer to the growing chorus from those who wanted an elected president, the ARM hit back by saying what would the issues be — whether to have creams buns or scones at the garden parties?

That was precisely the point.

In 2000 Australians clearly wanted a president who was something more than a figurehead. Quite what that should be was never allowed to be developed, but the desire was undoubtedly there and would be again.

For a long time I believed that the conversion to a republic should be an opportunity for a total overhaul of the Australian Constitution, but there are too many entrenched interests in the States and Territories for that ever to get off the ground.

The need is for a model acceptable for an elected presidency under a parliamentary system. The example of Ireland springs to mind, but there are others.

Finally, there is one more argument that the monarchists tend to put forward whenever this question is raised — that there is no momentum for change.

There was little or no momentum for change until Prime Minister, Paul Keating brought the question forward during his term in office. It then became one of the issues that defined the 1990s leading inevitably to a referendum.

The opportunity for that momentum will come with a new UK Monarch – it will be up to leaders at that time to grasp the issue and take it forward.

 

Public Service News from around the world

Germany promises ‘storm diversity’

BERLIN (January 7): The German Meteorologist Service has promised to give storms more diverse names after an online initiative called for a better reflection of the multicultural make-up of the country’s society.

A low-pressure system bringing frigid temperatures, dark clouds, and snow to the country has been titled Ahmet, a boy's name of Turkish origin.

Other storms to follow will include traditionally male Arabic, Kurdish and Greek names such as Cemal, Goran, Hakim, and Dimitrios.

Meanwhile, high-pressure systems reaching Germany early this year will be called Bozena, Chana, or Dragica, traditionally female names with Polish, Hebrew, and South Slavic roots.

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Fears for Trump’s last days

WASHINGTON (January 6): Former United States Secretaries of Defence have put their names to an opinion article in the Washington Post expressing concerns that President Donald Trump would impose martial law or invoke the Insurrection Act as a way of extending his term in the White House.

The article, signed by all 10 living Secretaries of Defence, including Mark Esper, who was dismissed by Mr Trump just days after the November election, declared “the time for questioning the results has passed”.

It warned that Pentagon officials who helped Mr Trump could “potentially face criminal penalties for the grave consequences of their actions on our republic”.

The former Secretaries were also concerned about institutional upheaval at the Department of Defence since Mr Esper’s firing, including the troop withdrawals from Iraq and Afghanistan and the realignment of the Pentagon’s Civilian Bureau overseeing special operations.

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Pandemic wreaks havoc in PS

GIBRALTAR (January 5): Gibraltar’s Chief Secretary, Darren Grech has called on Public Servants to act with “absolute resolve and commitment” in dealing with a surge in cases of COVID-19 in the territory.

Mr Grech said the Public Service must strive to ensure “resilience of functionality” even as a large number of public sector workers were either sick or at home in self-isolation.

He said Public Servants should work from home wherever possible, even if in self-isolation.

This follows a statement from Chief Minister, Fabian Picardo that raised concerns about the continued provision of essential public services.

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State’s workers return to offices

KOTA KINABALU (January 5): The Malaysian State of Sabah has announced that all Public Service offices are now operating as normal.

Minister for Local Government, Masidi Manjun said the Government had given the green light to ensure the State’s Public Service’s delivery system was at an effective level.

Mr Masidi reminded Government workers to heed the rules and the Federal Government’s Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), in place to stop the spread of the virus.

“The police and local authorities will continue to monitor the people’s compliance with the SOPs at public areas as well as social gatherings over the next two weeks,” Mr Masidi said.

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Secretary confirms teleworking rule

VALETTA (January 5): The head of the Maltese Public Service has told Government Departments to keep teleworking in place after a Member of the European Parliament claimed some staff were being ordered back to their desks despite a rise in COVID-19 cases.

In a tweet, Labour MEP, Alfred Sant said any return to normal working was "incomprehensible", particularly after a more infectious strain of the virus had been found in Malta.

However, Principle Permanent Secretary, Mario Cutajar insisted Government policy had not changed.

"I have no knowledge of any Government Department which has directed its employees to forego teleworking and return to their offices. Any direction which runs contrary to that given by this office would surely be overruled," Mr Cutajar said.

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No money for pandemic subsidies 

BRASILIA (January 7): Brazilian President, Jair Bolsonaro has announced that State subsidies to fight poverty will end as the country is "broke" and he is unable to do anything about it.

Mr Bolsonaro attributed the crisis to "the press-fuelled COVID-19”.

The subsidies, keeping millions of Brazilians from destitution, have ended as the pandemic, which has killed almost 200,000 people in the country, only worsens.

Director of the Centre for Social Policies, Marcelo Neri said Brazil may be "on the edge of a social abyss".

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Top students cool on PS career

NEW DELHI (January 7): A recent survey of the most successful students in the Indian School Board examinations over a 20-year period has shown an almost complete disregard of the Public Service as a career.

Of the 86 men and women who topped their school board examinations between 1995 and 2015, more than half now live abroad and most are working in science and technology, or pursuing advanced degrees in those areas.

The tech sector dominates, followed by medicine and finance. Just one individual is working in the Public Service.

For decades, the Public Service, and especially the elite Indian Administrative Service, has enjoyed an unparalleled social standing. That seems to have changed.

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PS chief rebuffs video criticisms  

EDINBURGH (January 11): Scotland’s top Public Servant has rejected claims from the Opposition Conservative Party that an official video, critical of the United Kingdom’s trade deal with the European Union, had broken the Public Service code on political neutrality.

Permanent Secretary, Leslie Evans said it was the job of officials to help the elected Government of the day take forward its policies and programs.

The video stated that the recent trade agreement was “a bad deal for Scotland” and concluded by saying: “We believe Scotland has the right to choose a better future as an independent country.”

Ms Evans said the video did not purport to be on behalf of the Public Service and represented the consistent policy position of Scottish Government Ministers both on the trade deal and independence.

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Many apply — but few are chosen

KATHMANDU (January 5): The Nepalese Public Service Commission (PSC) has reported that a total of 93,012 candidates appeared in examinations for various Public Service posts in the fiscal year 2019-20.

Of the candidates, 35,866 were females and 57,146 were males. Only 14.2 per cent of them made it through to the second phase of the examinations.

From this number the PSC made recommendations to the Government for permanency of 304 candidates on the basis of scores they secured in the exams.

The number of recommendations for permanency dropped during the last fiscal year after the PSC was compelled to suspend examinations due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Concern at teacher recruitment plan

JAKARTA (January 7): The Indonesian Government is pressing ahead with a plan to hire one million teachers on contract despite the suspension of Public Service examinations — the normal path of recruitment.

The decision has sparked concern with the National Civil Service Agency (BKN) saying this was the first stage of a Government plan to stop recruiting teachers via the Public Service.

Head of the BKN, Bima Haria Wibisana said the problem was not new, with so-called non-formal teachers recruited by individual schools.

“Many of them are low paid and overworked, and the suspension of examinations means they have lost an opportunity to take test and move into the Public Service,” Mr Bima said.

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Veteran of UN’s early days dies

NEW YORK (January 6): Sir Brian Urquhart, who has died aged 101, served the United Nations in high posts for four decades, beginning in the organisation’s earliest days.

Born in England, he joined the fledgling UN after service in World War II and by the age of 26 was already in high and influential positions.

He was a tenacious player in the game of survival at the top of the UN. While Secretaries-General came and went and other top staff faded away, he continued his grip on the top posts until his retirement in the mid-1980s.

During Sir Brian’s many active years of retirement he wrote widely on the reform of the UN. However, while he did mellow in later years, he never abandoned a basically conservative persona.

The full International PS News service will resume on January 19.

We should have seen this coming

Like the vast majority of reasonable people around the world I was horrified at the recent events in Washington, even though, hand on heart, I predicted, some 15 months ago, that something like this would happen in the dying days of a Trump presidency.

In an article posted in October 2019 and titled Is Trump too dangerous to defeat? I asked: “What if he did lose?

“This would leave him still in the White House with full presidential powers for more than two months between Election Day and the inauguration of his successor, the so-called lame duck period.

“Might he decide to sign off with a dramatic gesture? Cataclysmic revenge on some of the enemies, or countries that have dared to defy him over the previous four years?

“If so, who would stop him? The US Constitution, designed in a slow-moving, pre-technological age when it was assumed that those in leadership positions were always going to be reasonable men who played by the rules, is silent on the subject.

“Asking these questions would have been unthinkable three years ago, but that was another time; a different world.”

Perhaps if more people had asked those questions as the election neared and polls showed that Trump could indeed lose, we might have avoided the trashing of the Capitol building and the deaths of five people.

We are indeed living in a different world, and seeing I got this more or less right I will make a another prediction: Trump, or Trumpism, will not be going away.

While the man himself is discredited and may well not have the stomach or the energy to try again for the presidency in four years, there are many who see the path he trod as one that could lead them straight to the White House.

Trump-style populism, minus the erratic performance of the man himself, may be the way to harness the 70 million votes the president gained in November, plus more from those who embrace the conservative side of politics, but could not bring themselves to vote this time.

The past four years have shown that the white working class is fertile and potentially decisive ground electorally. Decades ago we laughed at the bigotry of Archie Bunker and Alf Garnett, lampooned in their respective television series. We shouldn’t be laughing now.

Who might take on the mantle of Trump in 2024? There are any number: Senators Josh Hawley of Missouri and Ted Cruz of Texas appear to be the front-runners; don’t discount former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, although it’s going to be just that more difficult for a woman in far right Republican territory.

Normally vice presidents have a good chance of stepping up to challenge for the top job, but Mike Pence’s inevitable part in Trump’s final defeat will probably rule him out in places like rural Oklahoma or Texas.

Someone out of left field? Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who in the weeks after the election was in Israel, burnishing his already bright credentials as a supporter of the Jewish State.

He visited the Golan Heights to denounce those in the “salons of Europe and the elite institutions of America who want Israel to give up the territory to Bashar al-Assad’s Syria”. Music to the ears of the populist base back home.

As journalist and author Zev Chafets summed up in his article covering the trip: “Right now [Pompeo] looks like the leading suitor for [Israeli’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu’s] help in restoring a Trumpian Middle Eastern policy, minus the drama, to the White House.”

 

Public Service News from around the world

Pressure mounts over oath-taking

HONG KONG (December 29): The head of Hong Kong’s Public Service has stepped up pressure on Government workers by reiterating a threat that any who refuse to take an oath of allegiance to the city could be sacked.

Patrick Nip Tak-kuen said authorities were ready to request all Public Servants to take the oath. More than 3,000 have done so since the oath was introduced in October.

“Civil Servants will have to return the signed declaration within a month, those who refuse will have to give an explanation and will be denied promotion or face dismissal,” Mr Nip said.

He stressed that the one-month deadline was not for Public Servants to consider signing the declaration, but was simply an administrative need.

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Support for remote working

THE HAGUE (December 31): A new survey has revealed that about seven-in-10 Public Servants across Europe believe they can maintain or improve the standards of their service via remote work.

However, the survey, by Dutch-based multinational consultancy, BearingPoint, found that United Kingdom workers were most concerned that without improved training and adaptive management, they would struggle to realise the potential of the new technology they were working with.

The consulting firm polled the experiences of 3,500 Public Servants in France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK.

It found that while the pandemic had seen a major increase in the uptake of digital processes, basic improvements in management and training would be needed to make the most of the changes.

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Recruitment failure draws fire

LONDON (January 3): The United Kingdom Government has come under fire from one of its own MPs for failing to meet its target of recruiting 30,000 new apprentices to the Public Service.

Chair of Parliament’s Education Committee, Robert Halfon said claims that the failure was because of the COVID-19 pandemic did not hold water, because the original pledge was made four years ago.

He said only 16,155 apprentices had been recruited by the time of the lockdown in March — “there is no excuse for this. It’s got to change”.

A Cabinet Office spokesperson said: “We are firmly committed to recruiting 30,000 Civil Service apprentices by April.”

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Data reveals senior PS exodus

WASHINGTON (December 29): Data released by the United States Office of Personnel Management shows that the ranks of senior Public Servants were substantially reduced in the first two years of the Administration of President Donald Trump.

Between calendar years 2016 and 2018, almost eight per cent of Senior Executive Service positions were vacated or remained empty due to a higher-than-usual level of voluntary departures and lower-than-usual number of accessions. 

Some Public Servants resigned their posts in spectacular fashion, publicly alleging widespread disaffection and demoralisation across staff after being repeatedly undercut and undermined by Mr Trump’s political appointees.  

However, the data also showed that among General Schedule Grade Public Servants, who form the bulk of the Federal workforce, voluntary departures increased only marginally in the same period.

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Year-end bonuses delivered on time

HARARE (December 30): All Zimbabwe’s Public Servants received their annual end-of-year bonus by Christmas Day, Minister for Government, Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, Paul Mavima has confirmed.

Professor Mavima said the Government had now tasked the National Joint Negotiating Council to come up with a roadmap that would enable the Government to pay its workers salaries equivalent to US$500 ($A648) on average.

“The roadmap is supposed to be done by January 31, so we will have a winning formula going forward,” Professor Mavima said.

Salaries tied to the US dollar, or dollarisation, has been a demand of unions as the local currency is practically worthless.

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Government rejects video criticism

EDINBURGH (January 1): The Scottish Government has been taken to task by the leader of the country’s Conservatives for using Public Servants to produce a film critical of the trade deal Westminster negotiated with the European Union.

Leader of the Conservatives in Scotland, Douglas Ross demanded an apology, claiming Scottish Government officials may have broken the Public Service code on political neutrality by promoting the video, which also argued Scotland should be independent and re-join the EU.

However, the Government was unrepentant saying it represented Scots’ opinion — “and Scotland did not vote to leave the EU”.

Minister for External Affairs in the ruling Scottish National Party Government, Mike Russell said Scotland’s forced exit from the EU single market and customs union would “hit jobs and living standards hard”.

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‘Bloated PS’ claims rebuffed

KUALA LUMPUR (January 3): Malaysia’s main Public Service union continues to rebuff claims that the country’s bureaucracy is bloated, saying critics neglected the fact that the 1.6 million personnel included health, education and security sectors.

President of the Congress of Unions of Employees in the Public and Civil Services (Cuepacs), Adnan Mat said the actual number of Public Servants was 600,000.

"Taking into consideration the present challenges brought about by the global pandemic and the preparation for the future, we still need more people in the education, security and the public health sectors," Mr Adnan said.

He was responding to a newspaper opinion piece written by former Ambassador, Fauziah Mohd Taib which claimed the pandemic had shown that the Public Service could operate effectively at 30 per cent of its capacity.

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Crackdown on salary protesters 

BAGHDAD (December 31): The Kurdistan Government in northern Iraq has been unable to pay full salaries to its Public Servants, leading to demonstrations in the semi-autonomous region.

Security forces launched a crackdown on the protests leading to the deaths of at least seven people.

Leaders of the main Kurdistan political parties have accused the Central Government in Baghdad of withholding money due to the region. However, critics say decades of corruption and mismanagement of Kurdish resources are to blame.

They say there is growing public anger at the current dysfunctional system that has stunted the growth of the Kurdish economy and made it almost entirely dependent on oil and gas.

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PM demands end to corruption

KUALA LUMPUR (December 29): Malaysia’s Prime Minister has told Public Servants they cannot use the pandemic as an excuse not to deliver services to the public in an efficient and effective way.

Muhyiddin Yassin said it was important that more initiatives than ever be implemented to improve integrity and governance “such as through efforts to combat corruption to ensure efficiency and transparency of the administration”.

“As Local Authorities are among the front-liners who are often exposed to corruption, efforts to combat this crime need to remain an important agenda item that should be widely implemented among their personnel,” Tan Sri Muhyiddin said.

“This is so that we can create a work culture with integrity without compromising any code of values and ethics.”

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Ministry investigating PS chat-bots

NEW DELHI (January 3): The Indian Government has invited bids to develop a chat-bot or voice assistance application like Amazon's Alexa or Google Assistant to deliver services to the public.

The artificial intelligence-based conversational platform would be expected to interact with the public in multiple languages, analyse sentiments and intent, collect and analyse data and give personalised experiences to users.

In a statement, the Ministry of Electronics and IT said the chat-bots should be able to turn speech into a textual input and turn text into speech.

"Platforms should also have other deep learning capabilities, recommending users to the best-fit schemes and services available in the Government domain based on his/her profile," the statement said.

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Penalties for men who refused to serve

BEIJING (January 2): Two men who refused to serve in China’s military have been listed as ‘dishonest persons’ the country’s Global Times newspaper has reported.

The men, from Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, bordering Vietnam, will be prohibited from employment for an unidentified period, the newspaper said, quoting local media.  

The report said the men, named only as Yang and Liao, were also fined 33,006 yuan ($A6,572) and 32,376 yuan ($A6,447), respectively and would be “exposed” on local television.

The Global Times said the two men were initially enlisted, but refused military discipline and were discharged. Military service is mandatory in China.

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New system results in promotions

ILORIN (January 1):  The Western Nigerian State of Kwara has announced the promotion of 1,600 Public Servants who passed an examination and oral interview.

Chair of the State’s Civil Service Commission, Habeebat Yusuf said that the officers came from different Ministries, Agencies and Departments and varied in seniority.

“We evaluated the officers using a new Performance Management System which has been a success,” Ms Yusuf said.

“I now urge all the promoted officers to be proactive and diligent in the duties that come with their new responsibilities.”

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New language test for PS

KIEV (January 4): Most applicants for Ukraine’s Public Service will in future have to pass a test showing they are proficient in the Ukrainian language.

The country’s Language Ombudsman, Taras Kremin said the test would initially be taken by mayors, Ministers, officials and heads of administrations, State enterprises and prosecutors.

“So it’s those who will be directly involved in Government activity; it will also apply to citizens of other countries seeking Ukrainian citizenship,” Mr Kremin said.

He said non-Ukrainian speakers already in the Public Service would be given time to get their language skills up to the required level.

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Diversity plan for State troopers

OLYMPIA (January 4): the US State of Washington is to recruit 60 State troopers and 24 Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Officers following months of protests against racial injustice and calls to de-fund the police.

Sergeant Darren Wright said most of the positions that had to be filled were due to troopers retiring.

“One of our priorities is diversifying the Department and we have hired a diversity officer to help with recruitment,” Sergeant Wright said.

“The last class we graduated was 40 per cent either female or minority and we’re looking to improve on that.”

The full International PS News service will resume on January 19. 

Scots reject Brexit blandishments

The leader of the Conservative Party in Scotland, Douglas Ross, has worked himself up into a New Year fury over a video posted by the Edinburgh Government critical of the trade deal negotiated by the United Kingdom with the European Union.

Demanding an apology, he suggested officials of the ruling Scottish National Party had broken the Civil Service Code on political neutrality by promoting the video, which called for an independent Scotland to re-join the EU.

Ross cited a section of the code that states officials must not “act in a way that is determined by party political considerations, or use official resources for party political purposes".

However, he seemed to forget that Civil Servants are also required to help Ministers deliver their political agendas and that in Scotland rejection of the departure from the EU (Brexit) and Scottish independence is official Government policy.

He also ignored the endless promotion of Brexit by the United Kingdom Government — all done with the support of Civil Servants in Whitehall.

This includes the UK Government’s Secretary for Scotland, Alister Jack issuing a statement, no doubt researched and prepared by the Civil Servants in his Department, calling the deal “good news for Scotland” that pointed to an “exciting future” north of the border.

Of course, there was no elaboration on this “good news” or on the “exciting future”; just as Ross did not name any of the Scottish business leaders he claimed were saying the deal was good for jobs and the economy.

In 2016 the UK voted, by a narrow margin, to leave the EU; in Scotland the vote was overwhelmingly to remain.

In 2019, the Conservatives won the UK General Election, capturing a swath of English seats from Labour. In Scotland the SNP won 48 seats; the Conservatives won six.

There is an obvious disconnect here, and just with Ireland a century ago, this cannot continue.

Later this year Scotland goes to the polls. Without a doubt the UK Government will throw everything into an attempt to unseat the SNP or at least dent its majority.

If, despite this, the SNP holds or increases its majority, it will be a clear message that Scotland is no longer interested in the Union.

The only course should be to allow Scots the opportunity to vote in another independence referendum and, if successful, seek their destiny in Europe.  

Populism wilting before reality

It is a difficult task to search for positives in 2020, but as this strange, deadly year winds down it can be said that it has exposed the utter incompetence of populist-style government in the face of a genuine emergency.

Without COVID-19, it is just possible we would be facing another four years of Donald Trump, whose bonfire of industrial and environmental regulation, coupled with an aggressively destructive foreign policy, resonated with his hard-core supporters and produced favourable economic figures — however short-lived and short-sighted they might have been.

The possibility of that nightmare scenario was demonstrated by a mostly forgotten comment by German Foreign Minister Heiko Mass on US election night when the President was claiming his false victory: “Germany cannot work with Trump if he is re-elected”.

It is quite possible that the Western alliance, already under severe strain from four years of White House antics, would have been fractured by a second Trump Administration, much to the delight of the dictators in Moscow and Beijing.

COVID-19 ended any prospect of that, exposing a populist President bankrupt of ideas and with no notion of what to do when the situation went pear-shaped around him.

His false slogans – “we have turned the corner”, “we are only getting high numbers of infections because we are so good at testing”, increasingly sounded hollow against the evidence of deaths in the tens and hundreds of thousands.

The election of Joe Biden is a clear indication that Americans want a President who separates facts from fantasy. There is no false cheer from the next inhabitant of the White House, rather a grim warning that “our darkest days are still ahead”.

That the population at large are willing to accept this suggests there is a feeling that after a taste of Trump’s populism, the old ways of governing might not be so bad after all.

While the US will get some respite, this is not the case in the United Kingdom where the populist Brexit Government, equally incompetent and dealing with the pandemic, has rushed blindly ahead with a program to sever its last ties to the European Union.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been ramping up the rhetoric as usual, calling the trade deal he has finally negotiated with the bloc his personal “Christmas present to the nation”.

In a triumphant Christmas Eve address, Johnson said the UK had taken back control of its laws and destiny.

“We have taken back control of every jot and tittle of our regulation in a way that is complete and unfettered,” he said.

Of course, as the details of the deal are examined, it will be found that there are some jots and not a few tittles that are not quite as the Prime Minister described.

Professor of EU Law at the University of Cambridge, Catherine Barnard noted the small matter of a swathe of machinery that the deal would introduce “all with the power to make legally-binding decisions”.

She said this included  the Partnership Council, a political body comprised of representatives of the European Commission and UK Government Ministers, that will consider “any issue relating to the implementation, application and interpretation” of the trade deal.

“It even holds the power, in certain circumstances, to amend the agreement itself and decisions are by mutual consent — including on jots and tittles,” Professor Barnard said.

So for the moment, while it is all festive cheer and the usual fatuous sound bites, reality awaits the celebrating Brexiteers.

It might take a little while, but eventually the UK public, like the Americans, will realise the emperor is somewhat short of clothing.

Public Service News from around the world

Trump’s PS purge looms

WASHINGTON (December 23): United States President, Donald Trump’s Executive Order allowing for the reclassification of many senior Public Service jobs has so far survived Congressional attempts to block it.

The new category of Schedule F makes it easier to hire and fire across a range of policy-making and supervisory positions by removing Public Service protections and union representation.

Already, the Office of Management and Budget has reclassified 88 per cent of its jobs under Schedule F, raising the spectre of a purge of the Public Service ranks in the waning days of the Trump Administration.

Chair of the Government Operations Sub-committee in the House of Representatives, and a leading critic of the move, Gerry Connolly said he would now work with the incoming Administration of Joe Biden to have the Executive Order overturned.

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US watchdog roles left unfilled

WASHINGTON (December 27): United States President, Donald Trump is apparently going to leave office having made no attempt to fill the yawning gaps in the country’s Public Service Inspectorate. 

President-elect, Joe Biden will inherit widespread vacancies in watchdog offices across the Government. At least a dozen of the 38 presidentially-appointed Inspectors General will not be in place at the end of the Trump Administration.

Incoming Chair of the Inspectors General Council, Allison Lerner said filling the jobs in Federal Agencies, ranging from the Departments of Defence and Health and Human Services to the CIA, will require “a heavy lift”.

The vacancies follow one of the most contentious periods for Inspectors General, several of whom were targeted for removal by Mr Trump.

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Money for PS pay running out

NAIROBI (December 22): Kenya’s Public Servants are facing a bleak New Year with the nation’s Treasury saying it is running out of money to pay them.

Cabinet Secretary, Ukur Yatani said increased demands and lower collections by the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) because of the COVID-19 pandemic could force the Government to postpone some payments.

Mr Yatani said it may also be necessary to freeze some essential Government services.

“As we do this, we are suspending or postponing some of the payments for salaries because the money is not there. Unfortunately we have no other words to say. It is just not there,” Mr Yatani told Parliament.

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Big jump in NZ wage bill

WELLINGTON (December 28): The New Zealand Public Service wage bill has increased by $NZ550 million ($A512 million), or 13 per cent in the past year.

A further 62 Public Service staff were paid salaries of more than $NZ200,000 ($A186,200) representing a five per cent increase.

Altogether, 1,247 staff now earn above that amount. However, the number of people earning $400,000 ($A372,400) a year almost halved — from 30 to 16.

Over the past decade the total cost of salaries in the public sector has gone up by 69 per cent, to $4.84 billion ($A4.5 billion). The average salary is now $84,500 ($A78,700), up four per cent on the year before.

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Irish teachers mark down pay deal

DUBLIN (December 19): Ireland’s main union representing teachers says it will oppose the new Public Service pay agreement.

In a statement, the Teachers Union of Ireland (TUI) said the limited measures contained in the proposed agreement “will not end the ongoing scandal of pay discrimination for second-level teachers employed on or after January 1, 2011”.

“The proposed new deal and will not address the two-tier pay issue at all for the other recruitment grades in which TUI represents members,” the statement said.

Under the new proposals, most Public Service personnel will receive a one per cent pay rise in October 2021 and another in October 2022.

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Extra chance for exam applicants

NEW DELHI (December 20): The Indian Government has told the country’s Supreme Court that the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) is giving “active consideration” to an extra chance for Public Service examination aspirants affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The court was hearing a petition from candidates whose examination preparations were disrupted by the pandemic and who would be ineligible next year because of the upper-age limit.

Solicitor General, Tushar Mehta said the UPSC was aware of the candidates’ plight and was preparing a proposal to give one more opportunity to the affected students. “We are not taking an adversarial stand,” he said.

The court posted the matter for a further hearing on January 11, 2021.

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NI public services complaints rise

BELFAST (December 26): Northern Ireland’s Public Services Ombudsman says complaints about public services increased by more than a third in 2019.

Margaret Kelly said concerns over record keeping at the Environment Agency regarding effluent treatment on a river were among those her office upheld.

“Our 50th year coincided with an unprecedented increase in demand for our services. We received 1,043 new complaints, a significant increase of 37 per cent from the previous year and an increase for the fourth consecutive year,” Ms Kelly said.

“To put this into a longer term context, in 2015-16 the former offices of the Northern Ireland Assembly Ombudsman and the Commissioner for Complaints jointly received 477 complaints.”

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Station converts to public service

LUXEMBOURG CITY (December 21):  Luxembourg’s Government Council has approved a Bill to establish Radio Station 100.7 as public service media.

The new law calls on the Station to design programing of “generalist information, culture, and entertainment”. It will remain an independent public institution with financial and administrative autonomy.

The current nine State representatives on the 100.7 management board will be reduced to three, bringing in six new independent members from civil society.

The draft Bill also calls for regular audience consultation through advisory meetings or other appropriate means. Advertising will remain forbidden, while patronage will continue under strict conditions.

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Union anger over court rejection

PRETORIA (December 24): South Africa’s National Union of Public Service and Allied Workers says it is dismayed by the decision of the Labour Appeal Court to dismiss its application to force the Government to implement the last leg of the Public Service wage agreement.

National Convenor, Sello Malema said the union was studying the judgement to see if there were other legal options.

“In the meantime, I call on Public Servants to prepare for a general strike next year,” Mr Malema said.

“Public Servants will not remain victims and continue to suffer the consequences of unethical and corrupt political elements in this country.”

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Call for women to join service

BERN (December 26):  Former head of the Swiss Army, Philippe Rebord has called for compulsory military or Public Service to be extended to women.

Currently, all able-bodied Swiss men aged 18 or over must serve in the military or spend time in the Public Service. Women can serve, but are not required to do so.

Mr Rebord said an extension of the system would boost the army. “Women have much to offer,” he said.

One woman who chose to serve in the military, Noémie Roten, said an extension of the system would allow every citizen to serve their nation in a way that fitted best with their talents and aspirations. Ms Roten currently works as a journalist.

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Biometrics exorcise ghost workers

HARARE (December 24): Zimbabwe’s Public Service Commission (PSC) says a World Bank-assisted biometric exercise had identified at least 10,000 ghost workers in the Public Service.

Head of Human Capital Development and Management at the PSC, Moses Mhike said the operation was continuing.

“We conducted a biometric exercise to get the data of all Civil Servants and compared it with that from the Registrar’s office. We realised that about 10 000 were not biometric compliant and traced them at each and every work station,” Mr Mhike said.

He said the exercise would soon switch to checks on Government pensions and transport allowances for Public Servants.

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Court told of ‘secret’ PS changes

PESHAWAR (December 25): The Peshawar High Court (PHC) has agreed to hear a petition from a senior Public Servant alleging the Federal Government is making “secret amendments” to the rules government the Public Service.

Counsel for the petitioner argued that the move represented “an assault on the scheme of administrative federalism laid down in the Constitution”.

“Neither the Federal Civil Servants Act of 1973, nor the Constitution, empowers the Federal Government to make any appointments to any provincial posts — they are an exclusively provincial matter,” the lawyer argued.

"However, this power is being exercised behind closed doors, to the detriment of a Provincial Civil Servant like the petitioner."

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Royal consent to PS overhaul

THIMPHU (December 22): The King of Bhutan has given his assent to a systemic overhaul of the country’s Public service.

Speaking during National Day celebrations, the King, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, said the COVID-19 pandemic had given new insights and taught many lessons and “Bhutanese must not forego such a valuable opportunity”.

“While the Civil Service is one of the most important institutions of the country, it has several problems. The present structure is not suited for future challenges and responsibilities,” the King said.

“The clear message to the Civil Servants is that they know when to reform their institutions to keep abreast with the changing times.”

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Extra holidays to boost tourism

LA PAZ (December 24): The Government of Bolivia is giving extra holidays to its 500,000 Public Servants in the hope they will use the time to boost the tourist industry.

Depending on the number of years of service, public employees currently receive between two and four weeks of annual leave, but that time will be boosted by between 20 and 30 per cent as long as the extra holidays are spent within the country.

In 2019, the country received 1.47 million foreign tourists that spent an average of $US936 ($A1,240) according to the National Statistics Institute.

However, Bolivia shut its borders in March as COVID-19 began to spread and that income shrank to zero, with 100,000 employees thrown out of work.

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PS pandemic fatalities remembered

MANILA (December 28): Chair of the Philippines Civil Service Commission (CSC), Alicia dela Rosa-Bala has paid tribute to frontline Public Service staff who have given their lives in the nation’s battle against the COVID-19 pandemic.

In her end-of-year message Ms Rosa-Bala said it was heartbreaking to lose many Public Servant heroes “but please know that the CSC joins the bereaved families in honouring them”.

She also expressed gratitude to Government workers still striving to rise above the challenges brought by the pandemic.

“This has been a tough year for all of us, but your unwavering dedication to serve the Filipino people amid adversities has given us inspiration, hope, and faith in God and in humanity,” Ms Rosa-Bala said.

The full International PS News service will resume on January 19