The UK government declined a chance to get £364m out of Carillion before it failed, and British taxpayers are now on the hook for that money

[doctorow]

Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2018/03/05/administrative-incompeten.html

…

[timber_munki]

Yeah, but I’m sure Corbyn did something that could be interpreted as slightly questionable if you look at it in the right way 30 year ago so let’s get our priorities right

[anothernewbbaccount]

You may need this

[heng]

“in a rare example of cogent introspection, ministers in Mays government did not think it appropriate to give advice to anyone for anything whatsoever.”

[gracchus]

in part because ministers in Theresa May’s Conservative government “did not believe it appropriate to offer business advice to directors.”

At least they’re aware of their own incompetence.

[@heng : jinx!]

[Boundegar]

Never heard of them on this side of the pond. Were they any particular kind of mega-business? Or more like a kind of Amalgamated Consolidated?

[sarc]

watched the parliamentary committee dig up the finance operation appears to have obtained illegal funding to the tune of more than ten million sterlings

[Terrorpin]

We’ll pay that off in a week.

[the_borderer]

@Terrorpin

We’ll pay that off in a week.

Well, the Tories will pay someone off, just not us, the NHS or Carillion’s ex-employees.

[Kimmo]

@doctorow forgot the guillotine watch tag

[the_borderer]

The wikipedia article seems to be reasonably accurate in this case.

Carillion

[timd]

ministers in Theresa May’s Conservative government “did not believe it appropriate to offer business advice to directors.”

Where, in either of the Guardian pieces, does it mention that that is what ministers believed?

Part of the problem with accepting that advice is that EY (along with other members of the big 4) have hardly covered themselves in glory recently, being more content to wallow in the mire and offer themselves as consultants to whoever is willing to accept the taint.