Make Your Mind Up Mrs May !

[mikey4444]

First there wasn't a crisis, and there wasn't a backlog, ( well, only a little tiny one ) but now it appears there are both ! Mrs May finally gets to grip with the passport problem at last.

Not sure why we have these Passport Office problems all the time. It can't be a shortage of money, as a passport now costs a between a whopping £72.50 and an even more whopping £81.25 !

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-27806441

[Farriercm]

What did DOZY DAVE,expect ,in his government spending review,
he announces 8,500 job cuts in passport and border control staff,now look at the Tory mess he has created, well done Dave

[jno]

there's a useful analysis here of why this matters

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-27801997

[youngmafbog]

So you were up for buckets more tax eh Farrier, do you pay tax ?

This smacks to me of sore staff deliberately dragging their heels to prove a point. Why else issue photographs.

Fire the lot and outsource it.

[mikey4444]

It smacks to me of a Home Secretary being dragged kicking and screaming into the House of Commons to explain why she has presided over such an unmitigated shambles. The opposition front bench did an excoriating job yesterday ::::Mrs May was being grilled on the situation by Labour's Yvette Cooper in the Commons - two days after denying claims of a crisis

[Kromovaracun]

This is one of a long laundry list of examples where the government goes to cut something in the name of 'austerity' and then finds out subsequently that the resources are actually in place for perfectly good reason.

[mikey4444]

I remember this happening a few years ago, with queues of 1000's of people around the block outside the Passport Office in Newport. That time it was blamed on a new computer system.

While I understand the security implications of issuing passports, the majority of applications each year must be very ordinary and straightforward, and at this time of year, there can be no excuse for people to miss out on holidays.
Any government, Labour or Tory, buggers about with a Brits holiday at his peril !

Its another case of government cuts coming back to bite this administration in the ar*e. We have been here before, with huge queues at airports, because there is not enough staff employed. If a job needs to be done and done properly, than there has to be sufficient staff available. Its not like a big queue in Tesco, where you can get in your car and go to Sainsburys down the road !

[mikey4444]

I think that this business regarding bl**dy water cannons is all about who is going to succeed dave next year, as Leader of the Tory party. I would put May and Boris neck and neck at the moment. I did think Gove was in the running but I think he has squirted ink all over his exercise book now.

[jno]

good news, they've ordered an immediate inquiry

... into who leaked the photo

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/jun/12/passport-office-inquiry-photographs-guardian

[mikey4444]

A case of trying to shoot the messenger rather than actually getting to grips with the real situation methinks !

[ummmm]

Why are people so stupid? My passport runs out next year and I'll apply for a new one when it has 6 months left. I certainly wouldn't book a holiday without one.

This happens on a regular basis. Summer holidays fastly approaching and a load of stupid people trying to renew their passports. Renew it in November and you'll have it back in a week...

[naomi24]

Mikey just likes shooting Conservatives, ummmm ;o)

[ummmm]

Oh...okay :-)

My point is perfectly valid though....daft people.

[mikey4444]

Nothing of the sort naomi. Passport shambles have occurred under Labour as well as Conservatives. The point I was making was that at first everybody, especially Mrs May, denied there was a problem, and then 2 days later she had to come back to the Commons and fess up.

In the near future, there may well be a Labour Home Secretary that is dragged back into the Commons to explain yet another Passport fiasco. Its the Home Office and it administration that I am criticising. As there is definitely a shambles going on, you should be brave and honest enough to criticise as well, instead of trying but failing miserably to shoot the messenger who posts !

[naomi24]

Come, come, Mikey – so much shooting - again. I’m nothing if not brave – you should know that. ;o)

[ummmm]

It's peoples fault. In January people make a decision to go on holiday in July....then try and renew their passport in June!

[jim360]

That can't be the full story, though, as I don't remember this crisis occurring this time last year. I'm sure there is a regular May/ June peak in applications -- but usually there would have also been the staff to deal with it.

It is a typically Tory trait to target tangible terminations of their team... and then to twig that their toils are truthfully tangible.

[jno]

seems it's to do with the closure of the overseas offices, so it's a one-off rather than a routine seasonal peak (contrary to what May said) - and they saw it coming a year ago

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/jun/13/passport-office-predicted-summer-surge-year-ago

[mikey4444]

jno...you are right. First they close down the overseas offices, then there is a crisis, then they deny there is a crisis, then they have to admit that there is a crisis, then they run around like headless chickens, rearranging the chairs on the Titanic !

What a way to run the Home Office !