[Gllug] Open Source lobbying meeting - UKUUG London Thurs 19th

[Christopher Hunter]

On Saturday 14 Oct 2006 10:40, t.clarke wrote:
> With regard to Government I.T., one has to remember surely that Governments
> are basically incapable on managing *anything* properly?

Absolutely - appointment at senior level in Whitehall (both in the Civil 
Service and within Parliament) has nothing to do with ability or knowledge, 
but is entirely decided by either nepotism or the "old boy network".  This is 
the fundamental reason that NO government IT project has ever worked properly 
or completed within budget.

> Accordingly,  they will always outsource anything complex, most likely
> specify the requirements inadequately and waste vast sums of taxpayers
> money in the process.  The likelihood of anyone basing any governmnet I.T.
> project is, I reckon, close to zero,  simply because there is more money to
> be made out of commercial stuff and the customer is better 'locked in' with
> commercial stuff.

Part of the problem is that the big contractors (who invariably get all the 
contracts) have the resources to "invest" in obtaining these projects.  They 
(to be blunt) BUY their contracts with obvious bribes. (I've recently seen 
this happen in the industry I work in).  Any prospective contractor will be 
ignored unless they are prepared to provide these inducements.

> Personally,  I would think that HMG should be capable of employing all the
> brightest minds and doing things in-house,  but I just can't see it
> happening. And of course MPs / ministers don't get cosy non-exec
> directorships in due course from in-house capabilities!

That's just part of the corruption that's endemic in the UK these days.  I 
worked in Italy a few years ago and was astonished at the obvious and open 
corruption that took place in everyday life.  I commented on this to Italian 
friends, and they pointed out that it was just the same in the UK, but just a 
little more covert.  

Returning to the UK at the beginning of Blair's reign, I began to look into 
the award of government contracts.  In EVERY instance, these contracts have 
been corruptly awarded (none that I could find have been entirely "clean").

There is no incentive for the Judiciary to investigate this corruption - they 
are just as "bought" as the Civil Servants and Politicians.

One of the big FOSS companies (maybe Red Hat or Novell) could be considered 
for big government IT infrastructure projects, but because they would just 
tender in the proper manner and not offer any "inducements", they wouldn't 
stand a chance.  That's the problem with "ethical business practice"....

Chris

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