Sack 'em

This week the news has been dominated by the case of Baby P, as the other week it was the Brand / Ross / Sachs affair.

Lest we forget the fallout from that was Brand quit, Ross was suspended and the head of Radio2 and SixMusic quit, all of which saving the lisence payer a few hundred thousand pounds and possibly preventing the same thing happening again.

Result!

Alas, with the Baby P affair, no one has yet lost their job, but the list of those responsible just keeps growing.

Okay, accepted that the mother, Tracey Connolly, her boyfriend, Stephen Barker and his brother Jason who killed young Peter (photies here) have had justice served, but that's not quite the issue. The issue is that there was a kid in trouble and whatever procedures were followed by the state resulted in the kid's death.

First we have social workers, police and health professionals who visited the kid 60 times, in the 8 months leading to his death, that's about seven times a month, maybe twice a week, and the kid still died, so lets sack the social workers, police and health professionals, they are in capable of doing their job.

Dr Sabah al-Zayyat who examined Baby P two days before his death, who's incapable of doing her job. Can we take away her medical license? She's responsible for her patient's death.

Health Visitor Paulette Thomas, ought to try doing data entry or warehouse work from now on, she doesn't seem to be so good at Health Visiting.

Social Worker Maria Ward, possibly some job that doesn't involve dealing with other people. The social work thing just isn't working out.

Then we have the four government ministers, David Lammy (minister as well as the tragic Baby P's own MP), Patricia Hewitt, Ivan Lewis and Rosie Winterton who were sent a letter by Nevres Kemal (the whistleblowing social worker), they failed in addressing the problem, regardless of whatever procedures they followed, the kid died, can we sack the MPs, they are in capable of doing their job.

Then there's the other folk at Haringey Council, I'm not quite sure who Lynne Featherstone is, but she was chasing up the matter with George Meehan, Leader of Haringey Council and Ita O'Donovan, Chief Executive of Haringey. They knew about it before Baby P died, and whatever procedures they followed, the kid died, these folk should be sacked, they are incapable of doing their job.

What about Sharon Shoesmith? I say sack her. If she's as good as the headteachers claim then she'll be able to find alternative employment elsewhere and whatever talents she has won't be wasted. But Haringey ought to have someone else.

How about closing down Haringey Council's Children's services department completely, sack the lot of them and divide up the constituency with neighbouring councils who have lower casualty figures. Let the folk there, who's procedures appear to be more effective, let them get the budget to spend and employ those who are able and compentent.

These are the times for sacking the incompentent. And if these aren't the appropriate times then when is?