NationStates Jolt Archive

A non-departmental public body (NDPB) is a national or regional public body, working independently of ministers to whom they are accountable. There are two main types of NDPB:
Executive NDPBs are those with executive, administrative, commercial or regulatory functions. They carry out set functions within a government framework, but the degree of operational independence varies. Examples include the Arts Council of England, the Environment Agency and the Health and Safety Executive
Advisory NDPBs are those set up by ministers to advise them and their departments on particular matters. Examples include the Committee on Standards in Public Life and the Low Pay Commission. Some Royal Commissions are also classified as advisory NDPBs
There are currently over 1,000 NDPBs in the UK. A list of all NDPBs is held centrally by the Cabinet Office and is issued annually in the publication 'Public Bodies'. An online directory is available via the Cabinet Office website.

http://www.direct.gov.uk/Gtgl1/GuideToGovernment/CentralGovernmentAndTheCivilService/CentralGovernmentArticles/fs/en?CONTENT_ID=4003078&chk=gr1Ls0


Note: my emphasis in bold, above

Wow! The horrendous levels of waste and bureaucracy that must generate!!!

Everyone of those committees will recieve government money for administrative staff, office facilities, professional design for their letterheads and personalised desk plates for the members.

In the best possible scenario, these bodies will be utterly superfluous and irrelevant. At worst, these non-elected bodies will advise (devise) government policy. Welcome to DEMOCRACY people.

Welcome to DEMOCRACY people.

Pfff. Democracy is the worst form of government...except for everything else that has been tried.

Everyone of those committees will recieve government money for administrative staff, office facilities, professional design for their letterheads and personalised desk plates for the members.

In the best possible scenario, these bodies will be utterly superfluous and irrelevant. At worst, these non-elected bodies will advise (devise) government policy. Welcome to DEMOCRACY people.

No, not democracy, welcome to welfare state, aka, "nanny state" and "state knows best".

Keynes should be bought out into the street and shot for the distructive nature of his economic theory has bought.

Note: my emphasis in bold, above

Wow! The horrendous levels of waste and bureaucracy that must generate!!!
There probably are a few dozen pointless bodies there, but the Arts Council of England, the Environment Agency and the Health and Safety Executive sound quite important to me.

In the best possible scenario, these bodies will be utterly superfluous and irrelevant. At worst, these non-elected bodies will advise (devise) government policy. Welcome to DEMOCRACY people.
Britain is not a democracy and does not claim to be. However, these NDPBs are appointed by elected officials.

No, not democracy, welcome to welfare state, aka, "nanny state" and "state knows best".

Keynes should be bought out into the street and shot for the distructive nature of his economic theory has bought.
:rolleyes:

Seriously, destructive? The British people have a rather high standard of living. Unlike a lot of "freedom-loving" countries where people starve on the streets.

The people of Britain voted for the welfare state. For most of the 20th century they've been voting Labour. They knew what they were voting for.

There probably are a few dozen pointless bodies there, but the Arts Council of England, the Environment Agency and the Health and Safety Executive sound quite important to me.


Ok, the HSE, I'll grant you. Possibly the Environment Agency. But the Arts fucking Council of England?? They subsidise ballet!!! I know the price of an opera ticket in London is expensive these days, but come on!

Probably a few-dozen pointless bodies ... out of over 1,000? Seems ridiculously overoptimistic.


Britain is not a democracy and does not claim to be. However, these NDPBs are appointed by elected officials.


Er, so? Just because they're appointed by elected officials means nothing to the original post. The original post implying, if not stating directly, that they are a drain on the public purse.


Seriously, destructive?


Seriously, yes. Read this wikipedia entry ... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_of_discontent

That's what Keynesian demand management does to a country. We were nearly the first developed country to regress to fuckwit status.



The British people have a rather high standard of living. Unlike a lot of "freedom-loving" countries where people starve on the streets.


Courtesy of Margaret Thatcher, god bless her little cottons.


The people of Britain voted for the welfare state.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. We're a bunch of idiots :D


For most of the 20th century they've been voting Labour. They knew what they were voting for.

And we certainly got it. :(

Direct democracy is the way to go. Why the hell did we say "we don't want any more despots, so let's use the system they used in Rome, nevermind the fact that it ended up in despotism too..."

It works in Switzerland, it can work in other places too.

And to underline my argument:

If pro is the opposite of con, and progress means moving forward what is congress?

Ok, the HSE, I'll grant you. Possibly the Environment Agency. But the Arts fucking Council of England?? They subsidise ballet!!! I know the price of an opera ticket in London is expensive these days, but come on!
Yes, art should be subsidised if it can't compete on the commercial market. It's part of the government's job to consider the cultural well-being of the nation.

Yes, art should be subsidised if it can't compete on the commercial market. It's part of the government's job to consider the cultural well-being of the nation.


No, no no no no no.

If it can't survive on its own it has no value and deserves to die. If it can survive on its own then it don't need govt help. Either way, shoot the arts council. Come on, you know it makes sense!:D

Seriously, destructive? The British people have a rather high standard of living. Unlike a lot of "freedom-loving" countries where people starve on the streets.

The people of Britain voted for the welfare state. For most of the 20th century they've been voting Labour. They knew what they were voting for.

Because your average voter is a moron - they believe that throwing more money at the problem will some how spontaneous fix up the inherient inefficiencies that exist within the public sector.

Just look in New Zealand, $10.1billion spent on health, and we've still got waiting lines for operations! how many more billions need to be spent before the structural problems are actually fixed; universities starting teaching skills based on market demand rather than airy-fairy, pie in the sky notions of feel good fuzzy-wuzzy academia.

Yes, art should be subsidised if it can't compete on the commercial market. It's part of the government's job to consider the cultural well-being of the nation.

Why not encourage people to donate money out of their own free will? if I weren't getting taxed into the ground, I would feel more inclined to donating money to the NZSO.