Thursday 21 July 2016

Election Special

Well you've all surprised me. Heatwave not withstanding, the hit rate on here has been phenomenal over the last couple of days as we've all been considering the candidates standing for election and especially for Chair of Napo. An incredible 5981 hits on Tuesday, with 5461 yesterday and loads of comments, some outrageously unprintable and hence deleted, but the blog can hardly be accused of being biased as all the candidates appear to have been roundly rubbished and praised in equal measure.

Ok, I exaggerated a bit. Some of the candidates have received some faint praise, but many members appear highly dissatisfied with the choice on offer, especially for National Chair and I think I can sense why. Despite the absurdly long and utterly uninspiring 'pulling rank' statements by the 'continuity' candidates, they are bound to win due to the oldest stunt in the book, namely the far left continuity candidate standing in order to split the vote and prevent the upstart PSO getting a look-in. All completely above-board, accountability and democracy satisfied and back to business as usual at Chivalry Road.

To say it's a sorry state of affairs would be yet another gross understatement in a  very long line of such. The blog has yet again provided plenty of graphic evidence of a very unhappy and angry membership which just doesn't seem to be addressed by the candidates in what must surely be some of the most bland, boring and pointless election addresses I've ever come across. 

Far be it for me to offer any advice, I'd merely point out the following glimmer of hope that at least one candidate acknowledges there's a problem and appears to be suggesting an eminently sensible way forward:-

"An independent review will enable us to modernise - become fit for purpose and have the best chance to protect our values, our jobs and our conditions."   

Those with long memories will recall I've been suggesting that Napo has been dysfunctional for some time and was in fact something highlighted by Judy McKnight prior to her retirement in 2008. It's my understanding that she was particularly critical of the ability of the NEC to effectively steer the Union and hold the General Secretary to account. I would suggest that subsequent events proved this view to be all-too-painfully accurate and left the Union completely unprepared for the tsunami that hit it in the form of TR. 

If the Union is to survive, there must surely be some acknowledgement of the situation and a willingness to tackle it head-on, or the sleep-walking into oblivion will just continue.    
  

62 comments:

  1. No one is going to vote Keith are they? Lets be honest he is nice enough fella but he wore the crown when the money went missing (I know he did not spend it) but he wrote out and signed those blank cheque's and tried to cook the books to cover up top tables expenses. Ian gets paid £80,000 a year yet we have to pay for our own union expenses.

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  2. Great post Jim. I couldn't agree more. But it is clear on this blog that members are awake and eager to change and challenge things. But how do we materialise this?

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  3. Wish you were running for chair Jim. Your eloquent, calm, intellect and wealth of experience and respect would guide us back. Things will never be the same for us but with you things would be a lot better. Am I being disrespectful in asking who you would vote for Jim? Your endorsement would speak volumes.

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    1. Maybe he is? How would we know? ;)

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  4. I left napo a while back. It is people like me they need to bring back on board! I would only re-join if i felt they were prepared to do something radical. I would personally like to see a vote across the whole crc. Either a vote of confidance or no confidence in tr/ privatisation or a petition to parliament to review the situation.

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    1. Great idea. I think civil disobedience would be great as well. We do our OASys assessments but collectively sign and lock it a day late this would cost the CRC a fortune and if the NPS followed suit it would stave off privatisation for them.

      We could also co-ordinate strike and work to rule. All staff walk out lunch time together for their hour, no signing on till 9am and all logging out together. If everyone signed on the systems nationally at the same time it would crash the systems. We need to all talk to the press as well. Mtcnovo are committing fraud with IOM, taking local authority money but spending it on profit. MARAC is on a rota putting domestic violence victims at risk, no case work with custody cases until they are released (that means no social services or pre release risk assessments and they are not addressing the breach issue within the NPS because it fits their targets agenda. 9 thousand offenders in London have not been supervised for 3 months plus (some cases over a year since the TR) passed onto napo but as usual nothing done about it.

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  5. Great ideas but that is all they are. With weak leadership how can we fight back? Too many staff trying to climb the corporate ladder and look who we have.

    Okay the style and wit used on here may be crass but people need to vent. Jim is brave to allow people to vent. Where else can we express ourselves? Well I ain't going to vote Yvonne glad she can risk assess sex offenders but too spineless to use those skills at MoJ. I won't be voting Chris Winters because I don't know who she is? Yvonne in my view is toxic gets drunk and tells you all the nasty little rumours about her colleagues in Chivalry Road (only the ones she does not like) never dares speaks out about her master Ian.

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    1. Yvonne works hard okay she isn't perfect but who is. She travels up and down the country and is a napo loyalist. We need to stop blaming the elected officials and look at the root of this cancer. It is Ian Lawrance and Dean Rogers. They are the toxic duo. In the last 12 months can anyone say which branch meeting Ian and Dean attended and if so what did they bring what did they galvanise?

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    2. Haven't seen the toxic duo at our branch London. When Ian did attend previously he'd turn up late be on his phone most of the time and chatting up blonde women. When he spoke it was the usual struggle fight fist thump lecture without any plan or real substance. Just a sound bite really. As for Dean boy can he waffle again turns up late on his phone most of the time and when he finishes speaking your head aches and you have no idea what he has said. Napo is the laughing stock in the PCS Union.

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  6. Can't vote for any of them but boy isn't Chas Berry boring, monotone. The only revolution he will ever see is the mass movement of people to silence him and his boring out of touch speeches. A close source told me he is only running because Ian and Yvonne knew Dino was so this was to split the left vote. Don't fall for it and vote Dino he is our only left hope and if he wins it would undermine Ian.

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  7. Suffice to say I have been carrying my voting form around for days can't bring myself to mark an 'X' on it, says it all!

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    1. I would like to see all the candidates come on here and do a Q&A could this be arranged jim? I don't trust napo blog it would have set questions and censorship galore. Any of the candidates brave enough?

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    2. I will not vote Dino a PSO does not have the intellect or skills to steer our beloved Napo ship through the stormy waters ahead. Only Chas Tina and Tony have real politics.

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    3. 07:33 well an early round of despicable. I suspect your clients are thought to be sub human then are they ? having offended do they have intellect in your world. Can we assume from your position brown eyes are bad and blue are good? Being a PO means nothing when this election should be about the ability to be a good trade unionist. Ledger was a PO and look where that got us.
      I hope your not a real probation Officer with this attitude. Cesare Lombroso would be proud of you.

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    4. 7:33 what a nasty little idiot you are you say you want politics then demean Dino for being a PSO. Dino works hard and is passionate why not give him an email or phone call he'll put you straight. PLEASE vote Dino the anti Dino brigade just like the anti Corbyn brigade are out in force for a reason they fear him. I'm voting Dino Tina and Tony they are the ones with real politics and passion.

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    5. "I would like to see all the candidates come on here and do a Q&A could this be arranged jim? I don't trust napo blog it would have set questions and censorship galore. Any of the candidates brave enough?"

      An excellent idea and only too happy to facilitate - but don't hold your breath as at least 2 candidates for National Chair don't even publicly acknowledge the blog.

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    6. Then give your ballot paper to someone who has the balls to vote for the right candidate and not waste a vote.

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  8. Tony is the only one to mention Corbyn if you are pro Corbyn vote Tony Mercer.

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  9. Chris Winters not sure who he is. Won't be voting for him. Yvonne Pattison too weak easily controlled by Ian. Dino too many skeletons in the closet. Chas is part of the chivalry road clique and to stand against Yvonne reminds me of the Milibean Brothers. Tina never heard of her. Katie is okay but too timid. Guess my papers go in the bin.

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    1. Chris is female.

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    2. Either way still don't know who they are.

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    3. I know nothing about Dino' s skeletons; all I know is what I have seen since Dorset Branch merged with Devon & Cornwall to create SSWestern branch. Dino know a his trade union stuff and he is not afraid to challenge management where ever it lies. I want a trade union that sounds and behaves like a trade union. Dino brings that voice to the table. He gets my vote.

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    4. I agree this skeleton rubbish is some Orc trying to undermine Dino vote Dino save napo

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    5. It's not at all clear what the South West under Dino's leadership has actually achieved that sets it apart from other areas. The similarities are clearer: proposed redundancies, no EVR, no meaningful consultation – 08:15 offers nothing by way of substantive achievements. But as we are in an era of post-truth politics, anything goes.

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    6. Wrong Dino has engaged the redundancy policy in our area. It has the same rates as EVR. This has them in a lot of difficulty. A policy written by him and agreed many years back amended properly through TR. A collective agreement. EVR continues to be offered by working links in stages. A major dispute is formally lodged and actions to be followed after a big meeting with all the unions soon. Nothing like this elsewhere and he has the backing of the other branch chairs in the WL contract. We had a full branch meeting today with many united from NPS and CRC. He has many past achievements but does not brag.

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    7. 10.15, it's 8.45 here.Am a little unclear why, when I don't list Dino' s achievements, that the rest of what I say is dismissed as 'anything goes'. I 've seen precious little written of the other contenders achievements either by their supporters.

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    8. Is this Dino a pso? I need to be assured that he is up to the job

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    9. Every PO voted in do not seem to have done a thing despite statement pledges. It does not matter what the candidates are as posted by 21:32 below napo need trade unionists.

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    10. I really can't believe that anyone can question competence of Dino or others as a union officer on the basis of PSO status.

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  10. I want to know who is NPS and who is CRC

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    1. Why does it make a difference?

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    2. A massive difference the fact you ask shows your ignorance. Looks to me that napo were warned about sifting process in my office napo insiders up risked their cases and got their mate managers to allocate high risk cases. So they all ended up in NPS. I bet none of this lot are in the crc. nec is dominated by nps my branch dominated by nps, top table dominated by nps. Scandalous how can people who work part time for probation get sifted to nps?

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  11. Oh for heavens sake is this mud slinging about NAPO still going on. I only popped on here before my tea to see if there had been some important news about the poor IT systems and the lack of credible Equality Managers supporting staff but obviously not!!!

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    1. Mud slinging? No it is not. This is people who are at breaking point. I have heard of 3 members kill themselves since TR, I know of 1 that tried to kill herself. 3 of my colleagues are off long term sick. God only knows what is going on in our heads and behind closed doors and this shower of shite (sorry Jim) but napo HQ have done fuck all to help us or stop it. Pay freeze after pay freeze, terms and conditions eroded some of you might be comfortable and have the luxury of a plan b but most do not. I cry at night what this job has done to so many people I love. What it continues to do and all we want is a strategy some fight some organising and some damn improvement too old too retrain too young to retire I am trapped. So this is not mud flinging this is a much needed wake up call to NAPO HQ WAKE UP AND HELP US NOW SOS

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    2. I'm sorry your feeling so upset but why are you blaming Napo for TR it was the governments decisio to butcher the probation service. Some members fought with strike action ....lots chose not to didn't want to lose a day's pay. Unison did nothing...GMB did nothing . I agree that there needs to be changes at the top table but to blame Napo for the mess we are in is unfair and untrue.

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  12. Yes, some of us are doing our jobs supervising people and generally trying to make the best of a difficult situation. Intolerably hot in our office today..standards are poor now in that respect. Despite that i make the most of the positives and the things i still love about the job. A young man who had worked really hard to improve his situation came in to introduce his baby son to me. That made my day! Also a woman calling up to arrange an appointment..a tiny thing but a step forward. A colleage asking my advice then feedback that she managed the situation well. Enjoying my rare lunch break to explore the new area they have moved us to! I try to stay positive and make the most of things. If i become negative it will be time to move on i suppose!

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    1. Easy for some but not for everyone I hate my job. I lay awake at night crying. The stress got to me and my wife she left me. I have no friends and drink I am an alcoholic and my colleagues know but no one says anything why can't afford to lose another arse on seat. Where am I going to go? I am negative but who is going to hire this broken alcoholic man. Don't worry maybe I won't wake up tomorrow.

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    2. This is so very distressing to hear. You can write to me in confidence - the email address is on the profile page.

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    3. So sorry to hear your plight 21:43 I'm not surprised you've resorted to alcohol I and many of my colleagues hate the job now and feel trapped I would urge you to take some time of and see your doctor it's helped me as have my lovely colleagues Know this it's not you it's the probation service which has done this !

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  13. Had to delete some grossly offensive comments, but this passed the censors:-

    "We need a shit house of a personality to lead us. Someone to set us apart from their (napo top table) plans we need leadership."

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    1. Jim just let people blog what they want. Its people's way of venting. Take censorship off and let's see were it takes us. I like the phrase "shit house of a personality". It's precisely what we need

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    2. What does shit house mean?

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    3. Couldn't agree more vote anyone that is not currently at Chivalry Toad

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    4. Anonymous 20:03 I agree although napo HQ are amused they need to hear the truth I'm bringing eggs to AGM if any of this lot are left standing they will have egg on their face let's be more like France and punish bad capitalist behaviour

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    5. "Jim just let people blog what they want. Its people's way of venting. Take censorship off and let's see were it takes us."

      Don't be silly.

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  14. AT Napo HQ we amuse ourselves daily reading this blog

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    1. That must make a change from your usual amusements!

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    2. How dare you be amused we are angry with you log you're useless and disgusting we are dying on our feet and you sit in your ivory tower laughing. Vote Dino and get the Chivalry Toad lot out now.

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    3. 19:56 I was going to vote for Yvonne Chris and Katie but seeing this post made me think yep I bet that is all you lot do. Vote the outsiders #NAPOoutsiders Dino Tina and Tony.

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    4. In the words of Roy Scheinder Jaws we need a bigger broom let's sweep this shit out bye Chas Yvonne and Chris. I'm voting the outsiders

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  15. So Napo HQ find our plight and frustration amusing. Come on don't take this members vote them out and let's start a motion of no confidence in Ian and Dean.

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    1. If they've time to be on here and be amused its time they found another job.

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    2. Many comments about whether chair should be CRC, NPS, PO, PSO. What is the point of that distinction ? Dino's principles are grounded in trade unionism, protecting our rights and our jobs. His been in Probation longer than any of them and knows his way round the trickery of the boys at the top and the slippery management. His given all is probation life to trade union and knows how to turn NAPO into the fighting back union it needs to be. If anyone thinks he does it to get facility time as suggested yesterday you couldn't be further from the truth. He fights to the death for members when there is a case to be had unlike IL and DR who refuse to use NAPO money to defend our rights and principles. If he doesn't get in its not the union thats f.....d its us.

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  16. New election campaign vote out the dead wood and vote in the new. VOTE OUTSIDERS anyone but the status quo

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  17. I agree I am going to write a detailed email to my local chairs and local officers stating I have no faith in Chas, Yvonne, Chris and Katie and urge them all to recommend a vote to members please do the same lets strike back.

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  18. Looks like Dino is on to to win.

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  19. The sun has clearly got to people as I'm not prepared to publish half the outrageously offensive stuff coming in. I appreciate many people are hacked-off with the situation, but please consider for one moment what an unedifying public spectacle is being created here.

    You have the power to do something positive and constructive with your vote, so use it and I'd very much appreciate it if you lay off the personally offensive stuff. Comment moderation in place until the morning.

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    1. NOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooo lights out and off to bed without any dessert. Head master has spoken. Night all, night Jim.

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  20. Napo amusement hq comment is a wind up. Someone is pulling our leg. They don't read this blog

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  21. Another staggering day on the blog with 5821 hits, roughly treble the normal viewing figures - clearly the future conduct of Napo is a very hot topic indeed and I hope some of the candidates for National Chair might be tempted to say something in response?

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  22. It's irrelevant whether Dino is a pso or a PO! What matters is his trade union knowledge and expertise. Dino works very hard and years ago got the excellent Reduntancy agreements. He is prepared to fight working links tooth and nail and will not back down. He has represented me and knows his stuff inside out. He is who we need as chair to take Napo forward

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