Sold Down The River- BBC Radio 4 - Face the Facts

Caught this today on BBC Radio 4 - please have a listen - it's worth it.

Whilst some of the program wanders off  a bit - there are a number of nuggets in there...

Responsible stewardship of public resources? 

Undisclosed millions £££ in compensation to their mates?

Warning - high levels of indignation guaranteed

 

It's a Game ... innit?

Over the nearly four years we've really wondered - I mean really, really wondered what on earth drives many EA officials to behave they way they do. One of Henry's Inside the EA blog posts has - we feel, given some substance to our suspicions and firmed up the veracity of anecdotal evidence - particularly from the waste management business... but also - we've had input from the hydro power and flood risk community.

Handing out false advice, wait until the victim was naively following said advice - switch the enforcement official and pounce - how charming - and all no doubt orchestrated with the legal department and the "corporate communications"and PR dept. Contriving a situation to mislead and entrap the unwary and then pushing out copy 'n paste PR to an incurious and lazy media? (And bully / coerce any publication / broadcaster that  has the temerity to independently (pun intended) review the EA's activities)

This sort of behaviour must be corrosive, infectious and attractive to people of a certain mindset.

So, it would seem that an official or a group of officials can arbitrarily decide that they are going to promote or  impede / obstruct an applicant or existing licence holder in a self indulgent, self serving and capricious way - and that sort of activity is tolerated in a public body on what seems like a routine basis?  Actually - there's a law against that sort of thing - well... there's several.

Some tactics that Henry hasn't mentioned are the deceitful promulgation of different, tailored versions of "things" to different parties, the misrepresentation of data and the undue influence put onto "independent" consultants to contrive reports which accord with the will of the officials commissioning / doling out lolly for said "independent" reports.

Anyway - 'tis the season for barbecues and we have stocked up on charcoal and woodchips - the EA have been truly generous and unstinting in the provision of marinade.

It would seem that we are in august company when we assert that The Environment Agency doesn't always act honourably - eco icon George Monbiot has been known to grizzle about the doings of the EA....

Not The Half of It

Hmm... 

Time for The Environment Agency to start claiming (again) that they're not civil servants perchance?

Sir Jeremy is obviously unimpressed with some of his colleagues....

and it would seem things aren't moving quickly enough... 

Sir Bob's under pressure / in trouble

The West Wiltshire Chapter of the Environment Agency Fan Club 

welcomes 

Henry

 as a new honorary member.

Please nip over to his place and have a look at some of what we've suspected for over three years.... 

This might just <smirk> exercise Laura Gottleier the cowardly EA-PR whizz at Millbank Tower who went around threatening people a few weeks back (when she gets back on Tuesday suitably refreshed after a hard weekend or back from holiday?)

http://www.insidetheenvironmentagency.co.uk/

yup - in a crowded field of runners (NHS, UKBA, HMRC etc) the EA is making a strong run for the title of worst public sector organisation in a highly competitive race....

Now, what was that about "apply a suitably PPE'd toe to a few backsides"?

The non availability of officials due to their leisure commitments has been a prominent feature of our interactions with the EA over the years.

If Henry would contact us directly via admin@north-mill-avoncliff.co.uk - we have a few questions...

Looks like a job for these guys

Some people are already beginning to propose remedies for this sort of situation

EDIT: Looks like EA - PR / Legal have lurched into action and killed Henry's Twitter account

To keep you amused (or as an insomnia cure) until the next post here I recommend
The Bumper Book of Government Waste
Which looks like it might need a new chapter....


meanwhile - on the other side of the pond - complaining about water can be an act of terrorism

EDIT 2: 27th June 2013 http://www.insidetheenvironmentagency.co.uk/ has had its hosting account suspended.  Internet access from Worthy Farm must be quite good these days....

Libel Part 2

Well, we have a response to our enquiry about how busy the EA PR department have been defending the tattered reputation of the organisation that employs them.

It would seem that defending "the brand" on the Internet is the most popular option with 212 requests for takedown in the last three years - just over once a week.

"We have to closely regulate how our logo is used in order to
avoid members of the public being misled, for example, by thinking that we
are endorsing a service or product because a website displays our logo."

It's hard not to smile about this - it would seem that our disrespectful little pants on fire animation doesn't qualify as it's not seeking to mislead !!

The PR department have requested takedown of articles on TV/newspapers /radio on 19 occasions since 2010.

In terms of libel / defamation (you can't libel a government department) the EA PR department have acted only two times since 2010 - and only once about Avoncliff.  - which is odd, because as I presently understand the situation - the PR dept. sent out two, separate nasty letters - one to the editor of Narrowboat World and another one to Allan Richards - one of his contributors who was at the time wholly unconnected with Avoncliff.

Allan was less than impressed with being selected for attention (and no subsequent retraction / apology) and FoI'd the Environment Agency about goings on at Avoncliff. Whereupon ...  it certainly looks to me like ... somebody untrained and unfamiliar with a loaded firearm shot themselves in the foot  - and it has to be said, volunteered themselves for remedial courses in the comprehension of - and writing clearly in - English !

EDIT Oh, Dear! ....  I have just found an Environment Agency document (copy here - you never know!) from March 2011 that says that in the previous year alone they contacted 223 people about improper use of the EA logo...  I wasn't going to - but now it's absolutely irresistible.....

I'm minded to re-open the FoI - but to be honest, I think it a waste of public funds to subsidise further inept floundering about on their part. Somebody needs to apply a suitably PPE'd toe to a few backsides (and  check the EA stock of trouser extinguishers? and maybe issue staff "at risk" with fire retardant trousers?).