Comments on: The Five Standard Excuses of all politicians, everywhere, for everything: this week’s Friday Formula https://oxfamblogs.org/fp2p/the-five-standard-excuses-of-all-politicians-everywhere-for-everything-this-weeks-friday-formula/ How active citizens and effective states can change the world Fri, 14 Jul 2017 12:33:16 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=4.2.15 By: Rahul Goswami https://oxfamblogs.org/fp2p/the-five-standard-excuses-of-all-politicians-everywhere-for-everything-this-weeks-friday-formula/#comment-1835 Thu, 04 Nov 2010 14:13:02 +0000 http://www.oxfamblogs.org/fp2p/?p=3871#comment-1835 Hahaha! Good stuff Duncan. I must submit, for your kind perusal, some absolute toppers from the Indian labyrinth of inscrutable bureaucrats, the following hereunder:
1. “We are looking into it and will intimate [never inform] in due course.”
2. “We have taken serious note of the matter and it will be scrutinised by a select committee to be expressly appointed for the purpose.”
3. “The official concerned is (a) not in his seat (b) on tour (c) has been transferred outwards and his replacement is being transferred inwards.”

Duncan: great additions Rahul, thanks!

]]> By: Deborah Eade https://oxfamblogs.org/fp2p/the-five-standard-excuses-of-all-politicians-everywhere-for-everything-this-weeks-friday-formula/#comment-1834 Tue, 02 Nov 2010 14:18:39 +0000 http://www.oxfamblogs.org/fp2p/?p=3871#comment-1834 ‘Well, we were all communists then’, Margaret Thatcher (as per Private Eye)

]]> By: Robert Bradfield https://oxfamblogs.org/fp2p/the-five-standard-excuses-of-all-politicians-everywhere-for-everything-this-weeks-friday-formula/#comment-1833 Fri, 29 Oct 2010 18:10:52 +0000 http://www.oxfamblogs.org/fp2p/?p=3871#comment-1833 Add to the list:

“What problem?”
“The previous Government/Minister/Director General did it.”
“People don’t understand the processes.”
“Corruption, what corruption?”

]]> By: Jiesheng https://oxfamblogs.org/fp2p/the-five-standard-excuses-of-all-politicians-everywhere-for-everything-this-weeks-friday-formula/#comment-1832 Fri, 29 Oct 2010 10:10:46 +0000 http://www.oxfamblogs.org/fp2p/?p=3871#comment-1832 It’s not easy to replicate.

]]> By: Olivia Ball https://oxfamblogs.org/fp2p/the-five-standard-excuses-of-all-politicians-everywhere-for-everything-this-weeks-friday-formula/#comment-1831 Fri, 29 Oct 2010 09:33:20 +0000 http://www.oxfamblogs.org/fp2p/?p=3871#comment-1831 Your Sex Pistols excuse sounds a bit like what has gone down in Australian political parlance as the Gareth Evans defence (formerly the ‘streaker’s defence’). When the former Australian Attorney-General and Foreign Minister was asked to explain why he got the airforce to conduct ‘spy flights’ over Tasmania during the Franklin Dam dispute in 1983, he famously said: “It seemed like a good idea at the time.”

]]> By: Jiesheng https://oxfamblogs.org/fp2p/the-five-standard-excuses-of-all-politicians-everywhere-for-everything-this-weeks-friday-formula/#comment-1830 Fri, 29 Oct 2010 09:14:34 +0000 http://www.oxfamblogs.org/fp2p/?p=3871#comment-1830 In a way the sex pistol argument holds. During the Asian Economic rise in the 1960s and 1970s, the international economic climate was that of the Gold Standard, the permeation of Keynesianism in Western countries, and less US preoccupation with laissez faire for E Asia (military importance/anti communism was more important). Right now, you have a economic climate with stronger IOs and economic norms, the end of the Gold Standard, and US idea of free market. How do you figure that developing countries will have it as easy as the EA group had in the 1960s/70s?

Duncan: no problem with a reasoned argument that changing external context requires changing policy ideas, Jiesheng. But it’s the lazy blanket statements that annoy, whatever political quarter they come from (hence the Friday Formulae idea….)

]]> By: Ranil Dissanayake https://oxfamblogs.org/fp2p/the-five-standard-excuses-of-all-politicians-everywhere-for-everything-this-weeks-friday-formula/#comment-1829 Fri, 29 Oct 2010 09:05:17 +0000 http://www.oxfamblogs.org/fp2p/?p=3871#comment-1829 I love love love love Yes, Minister. Still one of the greatest shows the British ever produced.

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