The Thought Police are alive and well and living in Ottawa (and Washington and Toronto and, Mississauga, for that matter.)
Witness the story in The Globe and Mail Saturday that reports that civil servants who work on the government’s climate change programs are being asked by the Harper Conservatives to help explain to the public why their jobs are no longer necessary.
You see, the Tories are about to kill a bunch more of those troublesome environmental programs that spread the myth of climate change.
So, they are apparently asking the folks who deliver the programs, and who will lose their jobs as a result, to report to them about potential fallout from those pesky environmentalists and the public when the news gets out. The idea is to help the government figure out how to deal with it.
The concept did not go over well with John Bennett of the Climate Action Network, who commented that the civil servants are very committed to the programs they worked on.
“So for them to be asked to explain why they should be cut, really, it’s right out of 1984. It’s telling bureaucrats to come up with lies to justify government policy.”
Such harsh language, Mr. Bennett. That is not how we communicate in Nuspeak. In Nuspeak, we say that it is the job of every dedicated civil servant to help Big Brother do succession planning, especially his or her own.
As for creating false appearances, if Big Brother was concerned only about such things, would he allow himself, and his Rubbermaid tire, to be seen in a baby blue traditional Vietnamese tunic on national television?
Yes, the word Kyoto is no longer in the Nuspeak dictionary, but that is for our own good, isn’t it?
The Party had the K-word expurgated from the climatechange.gc.ca last May. Then the site itself was expurgated a month later.
If Big Brother talked to the media, which he is much too wise to do, he would no doubt offer the same explanation that Winston receives in George Orwell’s novel: “That the Party did not seek power for its own ends, but only for the good of the majority. That it sought power because men in the mass were frail cowardly creatures who could not endure liberty or face the truth, and must be ruled over and systematically deceived by others who were stronger than themselves. That the choice for mankind lay between freedom and happiness, and that, for the great bulk of mankind, happiness was better. That the Party was the eternal guardian of the weak, a dedicated sect doing evil that good might come, sacrificing its own happiness to that of others.”
So, you there, climate change civil servant — write your own job termination, spin it as a new career opportunity and sell it to the masses. Our happiness depends on it.
Comments (1)
re: your topic NUSPEAK when you wrote:
"The concept did not go over well with John Bennett of the Climate Action Network, who commented that the civil servants are very committed to the programs they worked on.
"So for them to be asked to explain why they should be cut, really, it's right out of 1984. It's telling bureaucrats to come up with lies to justify government policy."
Bureaucrats coming up with lies to justify government policy is nothing new, John. You just have to surf over to mississauga.ca for some fine local examples of lies.
Turning our attention to lies at the Federal level.... HARK! Look what I dug up.
"Values and Ethics Code for the Public Service
Chapter 1: Statement of Public Service Values and Ethics
The Role of the Public Service of Canada at:
"Public Service Values and Ethics"
Ready? Fasten your seatbelts, John. HEEEEEEEERRRRE WE GO!...
"Any public servant who witnesses or has knowledge of wrongdoing in the workplace may refer the matter for resolution, in confidence and without fear of reprisal, to the Senior Officer designated for the purpose by the Deputy Head under the provisions of the Policy on the Internal Disclosure of Information Concerning Wrongdoing in the Workplace."
'course the Act doesn't help a public servant when he's been instructed to wrong-do by the Prime Minister!...
"Furthermore, any public servant who believes that he or she is being asked to act in a way that is inconsistent with the values and ethics set out in Chapter 1 of this Code can report the matter in confidence and without fear of reprisal to the Senior Officer, as described above."
Oh sure, and I bet said Senior Officer can protect a climate-change public servant from Steven Harper reprisals. No wait. Wait.
Harper's movin' to fire the lot anyway!
Next:
"If the matter is not appropriately addressed at this level, or the public servant has reason to believe it could not be disclosed in confidence within the organization, it may then be referred to the Public Service Integrity Officer, in accordance with the Policy on the Internal Disclosure of Information Concerning Wrongdoing in the Workplace."
And having had my own experience with The Corporation of Mississauga, I know where THAT'D go at the Federal level.
Last line from Canada's "Values and Ethics Code for the Public Service" you'll love this one, John.
"It is expected that most matters arising from the application of this Code can and should be resolved at the organizational level."
"resolved at the organizational level".. . With Harper as P.M. "resolved at the organizational level" means --Ya can't get there from here.
Seriously, John. Your Blog title says it all --"NUSPEAK".
BUSHSPEAK MISSISSAUGASPEAK NUSPEAK same-same.
And these "SPEAKS" raise FOUR QUESTIONS.
1. WHY BOTHER WITH PUBLIC SERVICE CODES OF CONDUCT?
2. I mean is it possible for Harper to get any more fraudulent?
3. More hypocritical?
4. More CONTEMPTUOUS of Canada?!
Love,
A very crabby and disgusted Mississauga Muse
Last, WELCOME BA...oops. Never Mind. Said that already.
Posted by Mississauga Muse | November 29, 2006 8:38 PM
Posted on November 29, 2006 20:38