Awkward Questions (01/08/13)
When I read the following extract, South Lanarkshire Council immediately jumped into my mind:
"Group Headquarters was alarmed, for there was no telling what people might find out once they felt free to ask whatever questions they wanted to. Colonel Cathcart sent Colonel Korn to stop it, and Colonel Korn succeeded with a rule governing the asking of questions.
Colonel Korn's rule was a stroke of genius, Colonel Korn explained in his report to Colonel Cathcart.
Under Colonel Korn's rule, the only people permitted to ask questions were those who never did. Soon the only people attending (the question and answer sessions) were those who never asked questions, and the sessions were discontinued altogether, since Clevinger, the corporal and colonel Korn agreed that it was neither possible nor necessary to educate people who never questioned anything."
The insanity of Catch 22 is matched, in my view, by the murky pay arrangements in South Lanarkshire Council - where such matters are supposed to operate openly and transparently - yet it takes three years and a fight all the way to the UK Supreme Court to get at the truth.
Even then there will be more questions to ask unless the Council starts spilling the beans - of that you can be sure.
