I'll leave comment on Gordon's plans for just now since I am still digesting them. Can I endorse what you said about Keith Brown and perhaps amplify it a bit?
Mr Brown was the responsible Cabinet Secretary when the ferries order went to Ferguson's despite the clear warning that they yard could not build the ships. That warning, of course, turned out to be disastrously true.
He appears to have taken no interest in the decision. In my view it was an error of judgement to leave a clearly tricky matter to a junior minister. If Mr Brown had been prepared to admit that and say that he learned from his mistake the matter could perhaps have been left there. Instead of that he has arrogantly refused to accept any responsibility and has been supported in this by the First Minister.
That raises very serious questions about his fitness to continue as Justice Secretary but it also demands a much clearer statement from the FM on how she expects Cabinet Secretaries to perform their duties in relation to their junior ministers. There appears to be no effort whatsoever to learn from the mistakes that have so expensively been made and to improve procedures. This is a dereliction of the FM's obligation to Parliament to ensure her government works effectively.
I'll leave comment on Gordon's plans for just now since I am still digesting them. Can I endorse what you said about Keith Brown and perhaps amplify it a bit?
Mr Brown was the responsible Cabinet Secretary when the ferries order went to Ferguson's despite the clear warning that they yard could not build the ships. That warning, of course, turned out to be disastrously true.
He appears to have taken no interest in the decision. In my view it was an error of judgement to leave a clearly tricky matter to a junior minister. If Mr Brown had been prepared to admit that and say that he learned from his mistake the matter could perhaps have been left there. Instead of that he has arrogantly refused to accept any responsibility and has been supported in this by the First Minister.
That raises very serious questions about his fitness to continue as Justice Secretary but it also demands a much clearer statement from the FM on how she expects Cabinet Secretaries to perform their duties in relation to their junior ministers. There appears to be no effort whatsoever to learn from the mistakes that have so expensively been made and to improve procedures. This is a dereliction of the FM's obligation to Parliament to ensure her government works effectively.