Posted on 12/21/2011 11:43:19 PM PST by bruinbirdman
Britain's most senior civil servant Sir Gus O’Donnell has publicly questioned whether the United Kingdom will still exist in a few years’ time.
Writing in The Telegraph, Sir Gus O’Donnell asks whether the Union can survive increasing pressure for Scottish independence.
Sir Gus, who is head of more than 440,000 civil servants in England, Scotland and Wales, says the future of the Union is one of several “enormous challenges” facing the political establishment in the coming years.
The admission from such a senior non-political figure that the break-up of Britain is now a real possibility is likely to push the issue up the political agenda.
“Over the next few years there will be enormous challenges, such as whether to keep our kingdom united,” he warns officials and politicians.
The remarks in today’s Daily Telegraph are Sir Gus’s final public comments before he steps down as Cabinet Secretary and head of the Civil Service on Jan 1.
In the exclusive article, Sir Gus also warns that Britain faces major challenges as its economy falters and says that the Civil Service has to overcome its own “cultural inertia” to help lead Britain out of the economic downturn.
Some Conservative ministers have accused officials of hampering pro-growth policies and Sir Gus says: “It is not enough now for the civil service simply to respond to a dampened economic climate; it needs to become a central part of its recovery and growth.”
He suggests that MPs are too keen to make new laws to deal with problems, increasing the burden of red tape. Instead, he encourages ministers and civil servants to take more risks, so that officials can “learn from failure”. “We must be more creative and innovative in the way we solve problems without always resorting to the creation
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
By Sir Gus O’Donnell
10:15PM GMT 21 Dec 2011
Today I am in Sheffield with Sir Bob Kerslake (who takes over as head of the Civil Service on January 1), talking to civil servants for one final time as Cabinet Secretary and head of the Civil Service. I will reflect on some of the many ways that the service has changed, but more importantly I want to look ahead to the future and the challenges that my successors will face.
I joined the Civil Service in 1979 – the year Scotland voted on whether to establish a regional assembly (although the turnout fell short of the threshold set by the government of the day), and Wales voted against; Jim Callaghan lost a vote of no confidence and Margaret Thatcher became PM; Lord Mountbatten . . . .
Hey Gus.....you joined in 1979....32 years ago and wait till 12 days before retiring before making a bold statement.....
Now give me the bad news...
I feel like I am to blame for this. My inordinate single malt scotch purchases over the years may have given the Scots the necessary funding to make there independence achievable. Sorry.
I WILL hold it against you if Bushmill’s no longer is a retail commodity.
Re-reading your original post resulted in my conclusion that the Argentianian bloc has put their foot down; enough is enough, eh?
YOU stop messing around with the Argentinian bloc’s economies and things be very nice for many people (not excluding myself) - and the Bushmill retail market).
Do NOT push the powers that be so far that they have to send nuclear subs to patrol waters you don’t care ‘bout (the net result being a serious depletion of Bushmill).
He’s a civil servant. He’s not supposed to comment on policy. Its only because he’s about to leave that he feels able to talk about this.
Go for it Scotland! Chart your own future!
And pay for your own social security! And stop interfering in English politics!
sfl
Pictured, two years after being sent home to die, the Lockerbie bomber STILL clinging to life
Bushmills is Irish whiskey, not Scotch. Your continued supply should be safe.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.