Equality & Human Rights Commission – Trevor Phillips
The Equality & Human Rights Commission was one of those good ideas that has gone wrong in the implementation. One can imagine the discussion at some government committee: ” … why do we have all these bodies, that we fund, complaining to us about how badly we are doing? I know lets merge them together that will save money, who will chair it? Who but one of the original of Tony’s cronies, he will make sure that they won’t complain to much; have you heard what he said the ethnic’s about being more responsible?”
Then absolute upheaval as a number of relatively successful organisations are smashed together under the stewardship of the head of, arguably the least successful. You don’t need to be a highly paid consultant to know what was going to happen next, a dysfunctional organisation that seemingly alienates everybody.
I’d love someone to explain how the head of any organisation that has it’s auditors refusing to sign off its accounts and have most of its board resign because of lack of confidence in that head is then re-appointed by Harriet Harman. Those of us who are political nerds all thought that John Major’s government in its latter days would be the example of a government slowly but surely committing political suicide, but Brown’s government seems to want to be best at something. This decision and the decision to appeal against a soldiers compensation claim, all within a couple of days must show that this government has lost any sense of political intelligence.
I’ve had dealings with the organisation and it’s predecessor The Commission for Racial Equality and I thought my experience was unique. A number of my constituents have stated that they get nowhere when they attempt to communicate with the Commission so I personally telephoned then emailed named individuals then emailed Trevor Phillips what I got was the standard reply of having received my communication but no replies to any subsequent emails or letters. This seems to be general experience if the case of Moi Ali is anything go by. I actually tried to talk to someone through my contacts and was told that the Commission would not take anything even mildly controversial or even faintly critical of the government.
The cynic in me feels that this is probably why Trevor Phillips has been re-appointed to his £110,000 per year part time position.
How can a Human Rights commission have had no view on British prisoners in Guantanamo Bay or the diminution in our rights under terror legislation?
How can a Commission concerned with equality not to have view on the unequal outcomes from the remaining state selective education provision.
Everyone who has an interest should write to our local MP and Harriet Harman to outline our disgust at this decision and make our feelings as public as possible.
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