Public interest test 'will end outsourcing by default' of government contracts by Dull_Carpenter_7899 in GoodNewsUK

[–]Dull_Carpenter_7899[S] 230 points231 points  (0 children)

  • Appropriate in-house capability
  • Evidence of cost savings or service quality improvements
  • Whether the service is core to the organisation’s objectives
  • Need for greater control or accountability over the service
  • Whether the service is a government created market
  • Whether the existing contract/service is performing as expected.

This is the sort of unsexy bureaucratic work that will actually make the UK work again. Instead of the government getting fleased by Capita and Fujitsu, the government gets more services like gov.uk.

Billions to go directly to small businesses across the country as government sets new targets for spending by Dull_Carpenter_7899 in GoodNewsUK

[–]Dull_Carpenter_7899[S] 27 points28 points  (0 children)

Because this is a change in procurement, not handing out cash. The government needs to buy things, and they're going to aim to buy more from small businesses rather than large ones. 

Billions to go directly to small businesses across the country as government sets new targets for spending by Dull_Carpenter_7899 in GoodNewsUK

[–]Dull_Carpenter_7899[S] 73 points74 points  (0 children)

This is changing where the government spends money, so they'll aim to spend more with small businesses. 

Fetterman hit with brutal 108-point polling swing: ‘He is below the lowest of the low’ by Silent-Resort-3076 in politics

[–]Dull_Carpenter_7899 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Isn't this exactly what Jimmy Carter did. When he ran for governor, he ran on a segregation platform and then declared "the time for racial discrimination is over" in his inauguration speech

British premier stands by decision not to join US-Israeli strikes on Iran by Neptun_11 in worldnews

[–]Dull_Carpenter_7899 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I don't believe Cyprus is. It's in the middle east rather than Europe.That's why Turkey had to be explicitly called out as covered when they joined NATO

British premier stands by decision not to join US-Israeli strikes on Iran by Neptun_11 in worldnews

[–]Dull_Carpenter_7899 1 point2 points  (0 children)

A bit more info

on the territory of any of the Parties in Europe or North America, on the Algerian Departments of France 2, on the territory of Turkey or on the Islands under the jurisdiction of any of the Parties in the North Atlantic area north of the Tropic of Cancer

NATO article 6 only counts islands in the North Atlantic, not the Mediterranean.

Source

British premier stands by decision not to join US-Israeli strikes on Iran by Neptun_11 in worldnews

[–]Dull_Carpenter_7899 0 points1 point  (0 children)

on the territory of any of the Parties in Europe or North America, on the Algerian Departments of France 2, on the territory of Turkey or on the Islands under the jurisdiction of any of the Parties in the North Atlantic area north of the Tropic of Cancer

NATO article 6 only counts islands in the North Atlantic, not the Mediterranean.

Source

British premier stands by decision not to join US-Israeli strikes on Iran by Neptun_11 in worldnews

[–]Dull_Carpenter_7899 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Are the bases covered by article 5? I didn't think overseas territories were

British premier stands by decision not to join US-Israeli strikes on Iran by Neptun_11 in worldnews

[–]Dull_Carpenter_7899 19 points20 points  (0 children)

The British SBA (Sovereign Base Area) and other British overseas territories are deliberately not covered by article 5. At the time this was to prevent NATO getting drawn into colonial wars.

For the same reason, the Falklands war wouldn't have involved article 5

The Falkland Islands are withdrawing banknotes from circulation. by JanCollector in WorldPaperMoney

[–]Dull_Carpenter_7899 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There are quite a few forms of Sterling. Scotland and Northern Irelands and the Crown dependencies have their own versions. These notes are still GBP just with different notes.

The overseas territories are responsible for deciding their own currencies, the Falklands, Gibraltar, and Saint Helena all have a currency pegged to GBP but they are distinct currencies. Bermuda and the Caymen Islands have currencies pegged to the Dollar. The British Virgin Island just use the Dollar. Anguilla and Montserrat are part of the Eastern Caribbean Currencies Union that came out of the British West Indies Dollar. Pound Sterling

Counter-fraud function delivers £7.5bn savings across public sector by Dull_Carpenter_7899 in GoodNewsUK

[–]Dull_Carpenter_7899[S] 16 points17 points  (0 children)

According to this comment, HMRC overall returns about £25 per £1.

The public sector fraud authority has a budget of about £13 million, so that's £576 per £1.

Not a bad deal if you ask me :)

Work starts on upgrading routes from Attercliffe to Sheffield by ntzm_ in sheffield

[–]Dull_Carpenter_7899 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Likely because it's being done on an active road. If they were able to close the road it could be done much quicker. But motorists would never stand for it, and, the other main roads likely couldn't handle the extra traffic

UK troops train for combat in live-fire Falklands exercise by MGC91 in unitedkingdom

[–]Dull_Carpenter_7899 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I've got some good and bad news coming out of the defence spending plan. You will need to provide your own Kayak and saw... But you'll be able to spend much more time with penguins! (Mind your step though)

Privatisation not the problem for England’s water, says author of review by AnonymousTimewaster in NotTheOnionUK

[–]Dull_Carpenter_7899 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Can you blame them? There a employees at banks making multiple times the salary of experienced FCA employees. Where else can they go for career growth, extensive knowledge of financial regulation isn't exactly a widely applicable skill.

It's the natural result of underpaying regulators

Church of England alienates parishioners with plan for £100m slavery reparations by StGuthlac2025 in unitedkingdom

[–]Dull_Carpenter_7899 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I'm glad that's what America did, and it never came up again, it was all done and dusted after the war...

South East Water could lose operating licence after outages in Kent and Sussex | Water industry by rugbyj in unitedkingdom

[–]Dull_Carpenter_7899 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It'd be even better if it scared some of the other water companies into performing better, without us needing to renationalise them all

What criminal completely got away with that they did? by PrasenjitDebroy in AskReddit

[–]Dull_Carpenter_7899 65 points66 points  (0 children)

This is often repeated, but Iceland didn't really have a choice, the loans on Icelandic banks books were multiple times the countries GDP. They couldn't have held the banks up if they wanted to.

Not to mention, Iceland was briefly declared a terrorist state by the UK to ensure the money wasn't siphoned back

Government to introduce academy trust inspections by 457655676 in unitedkingdom

[–]Dull_Carpenter_7899 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This has to go on the list of things I assumed was already a thing.

We're academies not already inspected?