Treasury looks for help

Asking members of the Cabinet in recent weeks to name the Prime Minister's closest / strongest / most influential colleagues, they mention Jack Straw and Geoff Hoon - because of their experience - and Ed Balls because of the decade he spent working for Brown. But Alistair Darling rarely seems to make the list.

But he does seem to be making friends elsewhere. Not only is there talk by colleagues of a "more collegiate" approach coming from Number 11, eyebrows elsewhere have been raised at recent attempts by HMT to reach out. In particular, the Treasury has apparently set up working groups of Permanent Secretaries from other departments to discuss the economic downturn.

Greater co-operation from the Treasury, who jealously guard their autonomy, always goes down well. But more cynical Whitehall insiders have interpret this as a sign that the Treasury has no firm plan for dealing with financial problems ahead, so is reaching out elsewhere.

This would fit with Peter Riddell's analysis that the Treasury is lacking in long-serving officials, when they were excluded from decision-making when GB. The Treasury say that cross-departmental work happens all the time at every level, but others in Whitehall believe such reaching out would never have happened during the Age of Brown.

Comments

[Piscator]

There seems to be nobody of any intellectual stature or moral fibre with any "real world" experience working in the departments; or indeed running them.
A first step might be training in the use of a pocket calculator, followed by analysis and interpretation of data. Thus 10p tax and VED "unintended consequences" might be avoided.

[albert hall]

All of the mess we are currently in started at the top since 1997 and it has been spread by Guess Who? Guess Who just has to go along with the rest of Guess Who's appointees.

[Andrew Towell]

Ed Balls? I didn't realise this was Brown's right hand man!

We are talking about the Ed Balls who gets invited along to the secretive Elitist Bilderberg meetings. He attended for many, many years, including this years in Washington.

A Treasury spokesman confirmed that Ed Balls attended the conferences "in his capacity as a minister" therefore the cost of the trip (air fares, hotel bills and expenses is estimated at up to £5,000) is paid for by the Tax payers. Ed Balls refuses to inform MP’s or the public about any aspects of the trip as they are secret and he attended the conference under this oath of secrecy not to disclose the agenda.

If you’re wondering what Bilderberg is, it's basically a secret meeting between the world Elites. 120 of Europe's and North America's leading politicians, economists, industrialists, and royals, among them Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands. Basically it is one of the worlds most powerful and secretive organisations and it’s being attended by Browns Right hand man, Edward Balls and Cameron’s right hand man, George Osborne.

Others who attend are people like Former/future Prime Ministers, Former/future Presidents, families like the Rothschild and Rockefeller. Leaders of oil companies like Royal Dutch Shell plc and the leaders of World and Central Banks. Representatives of groups like Council on Foreign Relations also there.
Also in attendance to many of the meetings was Anatole Kaletsky, Editor at Large, The Times (UK).

Journalists are not permitted to cover the event, no minutes are published, and all those invited must promise not to reveal any of its topics or agendas.

[Andrew Towell]

Ed Balls? I didn't realise this was Brown's right hand man!

We are talking about the Ed Balls who gets invited along to the secretive Elitist Bilderberg meetings. He attended in 2001, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2008.

A Treasury spokesman confirmed that Ed Balls attended the conferences "in his capacity as a minister" therefore the cost of the trip (air fares, hotel bills and expenses is estimated at up to £5,000) is paid for by the Tax payers. Ed Balls refuses to inform MP’s or the public about any aspects of the trip as they are secret and he attended the conference under this oath of secrecy not to disclose the agenda.

If you’re wondering what Bilderberg is, it's basically a secret meeting between the world Elites. 120 of Europe's and North America's leading politicians, economists, industrialists, and royals, among them Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands. Basically it is one of the worlds most powerful and secretive organisations and it’s being attended by Browns Right hand man, Edward Balls and Cameron’s right hand man, George Osborne.

Other people who attend are people like Former/future Prime Ministers, Former/future Presidents, families like the Rothschild and Rockefeller. Leaders of oil companies like Royal Dutch Shell plc and the leaders of World and Central Banks. Representatives of groups like Council on Foreign Relations also there.
Also in attendance to many of the meetings was Anatole Kaletsky, Editor at Large, The Times (UK).

Journalists are not permitted to cover the event, no minutes are published, and all those invited must promise not to reveal any of its topics or agendas.

[Jamaica]

Just why do these so called "educated" Politicians think they are capable to run a country? When they know darn well the last thing they should do when skint is to borrow money!.... Moreso after already plundering our gold to the cheapest bidder/buddies....
In my opinion that's downright stupidity. Shame on you, you! ...... Now that they given our remaining freedoms away, just what do we need these imbosils for???

[Paul of Lincoln]

Nothing is so bad that Ed Balls, Gordon Brown and Aisatiar Darling can't make worse.