#Public Accounts Committee

[davidhencke]

Can Whitehall promote innovation, efficiency and AI technology to help overcome the crisis in providing public services?

Gareth Davies, head of the National Audit Office Head of the National Audit Office raises pertinent questions about the future direction of Whitehall in annual speech Anybody reading the latest tranche of reports from the National Audit Office and the Commons Public Accounts Committee could be forgiven for thinking the UK is living in a dystopian world. Indeed fiction writers could use their…

[caymannewsservice]

Over 22 years late, development plan still misses latest target

Chief Office Eric Bush answers questions at the PAC meeting (CNS): The chief officer in the planning ministry has said the target to get the National Development Plan completed by the end of last year was “over-ambitious”, even though this project is now more than 22 years late. Eric Bush reeled off a long list of meetings, consultations, reviews and redrafts involving civil servants,…

[insidecroydon]

99% councils miss accounts deadline in 'public admin disaster'

CROYDON IN CRISIS: Only 101 people in the country are qualified to carry out essential audit work on public bodies, the lack of proper scrutiny putting £100bn of public spending at risk according to a report from a Commons committee Croydon is among dozens of local authorities across England who, despite being in deep financial problems, have no up-to-date accounts signed off. In arrears: Croydon…

[yeiyeisj]

My same sentiments....

Trial lawyers group decries legislative excesses in Zuleika Lopez contempt case The Quezon City Trial Lawyers League on Monday came up with resolution condemning the House of Representatives’ alleged disregard of the constitutional rights to due process and presumption of innocence of Office of the Vice President chief-of-staff Zuleika T. Lopez when it cited her in contempt, and ordered her…

[jasminewilson143]

Parliamentary Panel Summons SEBI Chief and Officials Amid Allegations of Conflict of Interest

Parliamentary Panel Summons SEBI Chief and Officials Amid Allegations of Conflict of Interest The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the Indian Parliament has issued a summons to the chairperson of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), Madhabi Puri Buch, and top officials from other key government departments. The officials, including representatives from the Department of Economic…

[seemabhatnagar]

“Delhi HC Orders CBI Probe into Tragic Drowning of 3 IAS Aspirants at Rau's Coaching”

Kutumb through its trustee v. State of NCT of Delhi & Ors. along with Amrik Singh Babbar (Library) v. State of NCT of Delhi & Ors.

W.P.(C)-10550/2024 & CM APPL. 43292/2024 In W.P.(C)-13308/2023

Before The Delhi High Court

The Delhi High Court ordered the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to investigate the deaths of three civil services aspirants who drowned in the basement of an IAS coaching center in Rajendra Nagar. The direction came from an Division Bench comprising Acting Hon'ble Mr. Chief Justice Manmohan J andHon'ble Mr. Justice Tushar Rao Gedela J acknowledging the seriousness of the incident and potential corruption by public servants.

Query by Court:

What caused the water to accumulate in the basement?

Why was the infrastructure not upgraded to prevent such incidents?

Who sanctioned the building plan, and was there any negligence in ensuring safety compliance?

Submission by MCD Commissioner:

The stormwater drain is dysfunctional and encroached upon by residents.

The physical infrastructure in Delhi is outdated and poorly maintained.

Measures will be taken to make the drains functional and remove encroachments and illegal constructions.

Submission by Delhi Police (ASG Sanjay Jain):

The investigation was carried out under extreme stress.

Further scientific investigation is needed.

The owner of the building has been arrested, but MCD officials have not been personally questioned yet.

Court's Observations:

Physical Infrastructure:

The physical infrastructure in Delhi, laid down 75 years ago, is inadequate and poorly maintained.

There is a need for modern physical, financial, and administrative infrastructure to cope with Delhi's growing population of over 3 crores.

MCD's Role:

The supervising officers of MCD are not performing their duties adequately.

The MCD was criticized for not respecting judicial orders and lacking accountability, with references to ongoing issues of unauthorized construction and inadequate enforcement.

There was negligence in repairing the stormwater drain and supervising the building's safety measures.

Investigation:

The investigation by Delhi Police was not handled scientifically.

The Court stressed the importance of conducting the investigation scientifically and without stress.

The involvement of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) was deemed necessary to ensure a thorough and unbiased investigation.

Court's Proceedings and Orders:

Transfer of Investigation:

The Court transferred the investigation to the CBI to ensure public confidence in the investigation process.

MCD Directives:

The MCD Commissioner was directed to ensure that the stormwater drains are functional.

Encroachments and illegal constructions in the area should be removed immediately.

Formation of Committee:

A committee headed by the Chief Secretary of GNCTD, MCD Commissioner, Commissioner Delhi Police, and DDA VC was constituted.

The committee was directed to submit its report within four weeks.

Court's Remarks to Delhi Police:

The Court emphasized the need for a transparent and factual investigation.

The Delhi Police was advised to conduct the investigation without stress and focus on scientific methods.

Compliance with Safety Regulations:

The Court referred to previous incidents and the lack of preventive measures taken by the authorities.

It highlighted the ongoing issue of illegal commercial buildings operating without proper approvals and safety clearances.

Seema Bhatnagar

[nepalenergyforum]

Lawmakers Call for Investigation into PAC Chair Pokharel's Alleged Meeting with NEA Tariff Defaulter

KATHMANDU, July 30: Lawmakers have demanded an investigation into an alleged meeting between the chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) under the federal parliament, Rishikesh Pokharel, and an industrialist with unpaid electricity bills on trunk lines and dedicated feeders. In Tuesday’s session of the House of Representatives, lawmaker Madhav Sapkota of the CPN (Maoist Center) called for…

[davidhencke]

Whitehall whistleblowers: Cabinet Office monitors nothing, knows nothing and does nothing

Cabinet Office – 70 Whitehall Pic credit: Wikipedia Commons The day after Parliament went into recess a damning Public Accounts Committee report exposes why Whitehall like the National Health Service has such an appalling record in dealing with whistleblowers. The Cabinet Office, the ministry at the apex of power and responsible for co-ordinating all government policy should be interested in…

[caymannewsservice]

Port splurges CI$46k of public cash on Christmas party

PACI Board Chair Cline Gliddon answers questions at the PAC meeting (CNS): After spending CI$56,522 on a Christmas party in 2022, which the Office of the Auditor General pointed out was more than eight times the recommended allowance for public sector holiday celebrations, the Port Authority of the Cayman Islands splurged again in 2023, according to its financial report for that year. Continue…

[fiercynn]

on ao3's current fundraiser

apparently it’s time for ao3’s biannual donation drive, which means it’s time for me to remind you all, that regardless of how much you love ao3, you shouldn’t donate to them because they HAVE TOO MUCH MONEY AND NO IDEA WHAT TO DO WITH IT.

we’ve known for years that ao3 – or, more specifically, the organization for transformative works (@transformativeworks on tumblr), or otw, who runs ao3 and other fandom projects – has a lot of money in their “reserves” that they had no plans for. but in 2023, @manogirl and i did some research on this, and now, after looking at their more recent financial statements, i’ve determined that at the beginning of 2024, they had almost $2.8 MILLION US DOLLARS IN SURPLUS.

our full post last year goes over the principles of how we determined this, even though the numbers are for 2023, but the key points still stand (with the updated numbers):

when we say “surplus”, we are not including money that they estimate they need to spend in 2024 for their regular expenses. just the extra that they have no plan for

yes, nonprofits do need to keep some money in reserves for emergencies; typically, nonprofits registered in the u.s. tend to keep enough to cover between six months and two years of their regular operating expenses (meaning, the rough amount they need each month to keep their services going). $2.8 million USD is enough to keep otw running for almost FIVE YEARS WITHOUT NEW DONATIONS

they always overshoot their fundraisers: as i’m posting this, they’ve already raised $104,751.62 USD from their current donation drive, which is over double what they’ve asked for! on day two of the fundraiser!!

no, we are not trying to claim they are embezzling this money or that it is a scam. we believe they are just super incompetent with their money. case in point: that surplus that they have? only earned them $146 USD in interest in 2022, because only about $10,000 USD of their money invested in an interest-bearing account. that’s the interest they earn off of MILLIONS. at the very least they should be using this extra money to generate new revenue – which would also help with their long-term financial security – but they can’t even do that

no, they do not need this money to use if they are sued. you can read more about this in the full post, but essentially, they get most of their legal services donated, and they have not, themselves, said this money is for that purpose

i'm not going to go through my process for determining the updated 2024 numbers because i want to get this post out quickly, and otw actually had not updated the sources i needed to get these numbers until the last couple days (seriously, i've been checking), but you can easily recreate the process that @manogirl and i outlined last year with these documents:

otw’s 2022 audited financial statement, to determine how much money they had at the end of 2022

otw’s 2024 budget spreadsheet, to determine their net income in 2023 and how much they transferred to and from reserves at the beginning of 2024

otw’s 2022 form 990 (also available on propublica), which is a tax document, and shows how much interest they earned in 2022 (search “interest” and you’ll find it in several places)  

also, otw has not been accountable to answering questions about their surplus. typically, they hold a public meeting with their finance committee every year in september or october so people can ask questions directly to their treasurer and other committee members; as you can imagine, after doing this deep dive last summer, i was looking forward to getting some answers at that meeting!

but they cancelled that meeting in 2023, and instead asked people to write to the finance committee through their contact us form online. fun fact: i wrote a one-line message to the finance committee on may 11, 2023 through that form, when @manogirl and i were doing this research, asking them for clarification on how much they have in their reserves. i have still not received a response.

so yeah. please spend your money on people who actually need it, like on mutual aid requests! anyone who wants to share their mutual aid requests, please do so in the replies and i’ll share them out – i didn’t want to link directly to individual requests without permission in case this leads to anyone getting harassed, but i would love to share your requests. to start with, here's operation olive branch and their ongoing spreadsheet sharing palestinian folks who need money to escape genocide.

oh, and if you want to write to otw and tell them why you are not donating, i'm not sure it’ll get any results, but it can’t hurt lol. here's their contact us form – just don’t expect a response! ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[johnbrace]

Policy and Resources Committee (Wirral Council) 12th July 2023 Part 1 of 3

[transrevolutions]

french revolution dashboard simulator

🐀 ami-du-peuple Follow

uh actually man has the right to deal with his oppressors by devouring their beating hearts. hope this helps.

🎩 departicle Follow

Hold up. Okay. Actually, fuck this. This sort of violent rhetoric should not be tolerated on here. Do you seriously think this sort of thing is going to make the nobility give you more rights???? You must be out of your minds! Reported.

🧵 seamstressproud Follow

reblog to devour this guy's beating heart

#username checks out lmao #politics #everybody point and laugh #common adp w

6,178 notes

organt-deactivated06151792

update: new canto out now!!! go check it out 😈😏🥀 (remember don't like don't read <3)

📜 sacredhostreceipts Follow

@centuriesandskies this you?? not such a great look for a convention rep ngl

🌄 centuriesandskies Follow

listen. I wrote this a long time ago, before I went into serious politics. the account is deactivated for a reason.

I was twenty. I did poorly. I can do better.

#sj.txt #if this is the worst dirt you can dig up on me #i'm way less corrupt than half the people in the convention these days #at least i'm not doing fucking. embezzlement. #also sacredhostreceipts if you're who i think you are #don't you have better things to do rn?

231 notes

🌎 landscape-showdown Follow

🌎 landscape-showdown Follow

why the fuck is everyone tagging this with french??? political figures?

#what the hell is going on over there #also maybe cool it with the death threats #I don't want this blog to get taken down #what's a girondin #is this some joke I'm not french enough to understand #showdown update

5,012 notes

⛪ progressivepriest Follow

Unpopular opinion but why is everyone so up in arms about the new Civil Oath? Literally all it's asking is for you to promise not to commit treason just because the Pope tells you to? I can see where people are coming from with the whole violation-of-religion deal, but can you blame the Assembly for trying to make sure the people aren't forcibly subjugated by the wealth of the nobility?

faith-first-alwaysdeactivated03011791

Sounds like something a heretic would say. To betray the Pope and king is to betray the will of God and your eternal soul! You should pray for forgiveness and pledge loyalty to the monarchy or have fun burning in hell. Sorry not sorry.

⛪ progressivepriest Follow

L + ratio + iirc the Bible says "it is easier for a rope to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter heaven" (Matthew 19:24)

🎻 lacarmagn01e Follow

occasional based catholic moment, go off OP!

🌊 sea-of-revolution Follow

looked the faith-first-always guy's blog, he's like a massive anti-huguenot too 🙄 why is it always the prot-exclusive radical catholics smh

🌊 sea-of-revolution Follow

LMAOOOOO HE DEACTIVATED

#religion tag #percs fuck off #anyways op makes a valid point #reblog #percs dni

3,719 notes

🛌 virtuous-bedtime Follow

she committee on my safety til I can't go public

🍊 springtimeofgovernment Follow

I don't understand the joke, can someone explain please?? 🙂 Thank you!

🧵 seamstressproud Follow

is that fucking MAXIMILIEN ROBESPIERRE?!!?!?!?

🛌 virtuous-bedtime Follow

oh my god citizen robespierre I'm so sorry this was not meant to break containment lol I didn't even know you were on this site please forget you saw this

#this is the most embarassing moment of my life #literally sobbing rn #the original post is /j i prommy #i cannot be known as the citizen who had to explain this to the government

19,853 notes

🪓 indulgentsfuckoff Follow

fabre d'eglantine is NOT your poor little meow meow citizens he literally falsified decrees from the national convention and embezzled money to line his own pockets. I don't care how uwu babygirl you think he is he is a CRIMINAL who should be ARRESTED

💛 i-give-people-bread Follow

🥖🍞🥐

#baguette #loaf #croissant #i-give-people-bread #indulgentsfuckoff #silly

2,011 notes

🧱 comic-sans-culotte Follow

fucking fed up with the constant threat of the swiss guard, I think it's time we got some gunpowder and weapons and took things into our own hands yknow what I'm saying

🧱 comic-sans-culotte Follow

I'm no longer joking about this btw

🧱 comic-sans-culotte Follow

update:

hopital

🧱 comic-sans-culotte Follow

ok bc I've gotten like 50 asks about this: I am not injured and I am not in need of medical care. the punchline was that we stormed the fucking hotel des invalides to get guns and powder. didn't want to clarify the joke before now for security reasons but everyone knows about that and the bastille thing by now. please direct your money to people who actually need it.

#shouldve clarified the last post was /j #however I assumed yall knew this joke already #anyways #revolution #personal #500 #1k

1,930 notes

🌾 nopain-nograin Follow

got so high at the festivial 2day i thnk i saw hte suapreme being

#robespiere speech was prboably 🔥 #unforntuately i camt rember any of it #grainposting #oipum ehre is somtehing else thes days #memes

8,256 notes

🎨 jldavid-real-moved Follow

incredible speech from @springtimeofgovernment today at the jacobin club. nobody should be permitted to use their positions as civic leaders to commit crimes against the people, even under the guise of revolutionary fervor. if it comes to it, I too will drink the hemlock with him. for france. 🤝🤝

🍊 springtimeofgovernment Follow

Thanks for your support, @jldavid-real

The situation over here is deteriorating really quickly, the representatives are getting violent and abandoning due process entirely. Anything you can do to stand with us now would be very appreciated. You do a lot of great work for the revolution, and I trust you completely.

🍊 springtimeofgovernment Follow

@jldavid-real are you still there? We could really use your help right now.

🌄 centuriesandskies Follow

boosting @springtimeofgovernment here, can confirm he's been injured in a skirmish at the hotel de ville, they're passing summary death sentences without trial, @jldavid-real where is the help you promised us??? the people of paris are our only hope now.

edit: of course he moved blogs. coward.

#sj.txt #disappointed yet unsurprised #marat would be ashamed of you #9 thermidor #update

15,794 notes

🎻 lacarmagn01e Follow

DNI if you support any of these groups/people or their actions: m0narchists, f3uillants, br1ssotins/g1rondins, th3rmidorians, b0napart1sts, h3nri du v3rgier (also goes by c0mte de r0chjacquelin), charl0tte c0rday, or lafay3tte

(h3bertists and dant0nists you're on thin ice. behave.)

#censored so they dont show up in the tags #dni #get your nasty ass ideologies off my page #won't hesitate to block and/or report any violators #pinned

52 notes

gracchus-babeufdeactivated05271797

reblog to make the directoire choke to death on their stupid fucking outfits

🌊 sea-of-revolution Follow

hey staff. yeah you. where did this blog go?? notfishgoujon and prairial-95 are gone as well?? cowards too afraid to show your faces lmao especially after the fucking mess the directoire's made of the country. bet you anything that staff are on their fucking payroll too iykwim at least the republic didn't tolerate fucking bribery

#this site's gone to the dogs since thermidor yr 2 #following the trend of the rest of the country tbh #i'll probably get nuked for posting this #if so i'm not making a new account #i'll just make a paleocities or smth #politics tag #reblog #don't play with me ik full well gb didn't delete his blog of his own free will #they also zero note glitched it #just when you think they can't stoop lower

0 notes

📕 spectrehauntingeurope Follow

it's been 50 fucking years since gracchus-babeuf (and the other CoE blogs) were deleted without warning and still no response from staff, the govt, or anything. the site's gone through a fuckton of ownership changes and still nothing.

we're working on a bit of a project (some of you might know abt it already), it's gonna be out prob in the next year or so. remember '89. remember '93 and '94. remember '97.

the people will rise again. it's only a matter of time. 🚩

-mod karl

[saywhat-politics]

By Katherine Hamilton Digital Content Writing Fellow, RepresentUs June 1, 2021

Last election season, you probably saw a lot of social media posts and emails telling you to call your congress members and voice your support for certain issues.

But, does contacting your representatives really work?

The short answer? YES! You might be surprised to know just how much of a difference making a phone call or writing an email can be. Here’s why it works.

What happens when you call your representative?

When you call, your message is logged and relayed to your senator and the staffers in their office crafting policy. Every single call helps your senator know how much of a priority this issue is for their constituents. It’s all about building pressure, and calls are one of the most efficient ways to do so.

Four Reasons Calling Congress Makes a Huge Difference

Congress members care about re-election — and you control their chances. Congress members spend more than half their time in office focusing on re-election. If a politician wants to get re-elected, he or she has to ensure they’re addressing their constituents’ concerns. When you contact your lawmakers to let them know what policies you support, you’re telling them what they can do to win your vote in the next election. This is an extremely effective way of getting your officials to listen to you — and it’s exactly how democracy is supposed to work!

A lot of callers can build a lot of pressure. When a legislator starts hearing the same concerns from a lot of citizens, it puts a lot of pressure on them to vote the way their constituents want. Flooding a lawmaker’s inbox or phone line can completely stall office activity, and really get the attention of your elected official. When you contact your representative, you’re adding your voice to a wave of grassroots pressure.

It’s one of the best ways to voice your opinion in the election off-season. There’s not always an election around the corner, and even when there is, you don’t always get to vote on the issues you really care about. But civic participation can — and should — happen year-round. Contacting your elected officials holds them accountable for representing you, even when it’s not election season.

It literally only takes two minutes! One of the best things about calling your representatives? It’s incredibly quick and easy to do. Most groups that ask you to contact Congress will provide you with easy-to-follow instructions and a simple script to read — although adding personal touches is highly encouraged! Who knew saving democracy could take as much time as brushing your teeth?

All questions and comments regarding public policy issues, legislation, or requests for personal assistance should be directed to the senators from your state. Please be aware that as a matter of professional courtesy, many senators will acknowledge, but not respond to, a message from another senator's constituent.

Options for Contacting Senators

Web contact forms are available on most senators' websites

Postal Addresses

Addresses for each senator can be found on the senator's website or state's web page

The following standard address can be also be used: The Honorable (Name) United States Senate Washington, DC 20510 For correspondence to a Senate committee or to a Senate committee chair: (Name of Committee) United States Senate Washington, DC 20510

Telephone

Phone numbers are available on each state's page or on your senator's website

Senators Suite & Telephone List (PDF)

A U.S. Capitol Switchboard operator can also connect you directly with the Senate office. (202) 224-3121

[storiesfromgaza]

It is very important to read this and share it

Today the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor Observatory stated that Israel dropped over 25,000 tons of explosives on the Gaza Strip as part of its ongoing extensive war since October 7th, equivalent to two nuclear bombs.

The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Observatory, based in Geneva, highlighted the Israeli army's acknowledgment of targeting more than 12,000 objectives in the Gaza Strip, setting a record in the number of bombs dropped, surpassing 10 kilograms of explosives per person.

With the advancements in bomb quantity and effectiveness, while maintaining a consistent amount of explosives, the quantity dropped on Gaza could be equivalent to twice the power of a nuclear bomb.

Additionally, Israel deliberately employs a mixture known as "RDX" (Research Department Explosive) commonly referred to as "the science of complete explosives," with a power equal to 1.34 times that of TNT.

This means that the destructive power of the explosives dropped on Gaza exceeds what was dropped on Hiroshima, taking into account that the city of Hiroshima covers an area of 900 square kilometers, while Gaza's area is no more than 360 square kilometers.

Furthermore, Israel has been documented using internationally banned weapons in its attacks on the Gaza Strip, particularly cluster and white phosphorus bombs. White phosphorus is a highly toxic incendiary substance that rapidly reacts with oxygen, causing severe second and third-degree burns. The Euro-Mediterranean team has documented cases of injuries among the victims of Israeli attacks that resemble the effects of dangerous cluster bombs, as they contain small high-explosive submunitions designed to penetrate the body and cause internal explosions, resulting in severe burns that melt the victims' skin and sometimes lead to death. These submunitions also cause peculiar swelling and toxin exposure in the body, including transparent shrapnel that does not appear in X-ray images.

The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Observatory has emphasized that Israel's destructive, indiscriminate, and disproportionate attacks constitute a clear violation of the laws of war and the rules of international humanitarian law, which stipulate the obligation to protect civilians in all circumstances and under any conditions. Killing civilians is considered a war crime in both international and non-international armed conflicts and can rise to the level of a crime against humanity.

The 1899 and 1907 Hague Conventions, along with the 1949 Geneva Convention in its latest formulation, established fundamental human rights during wartime to limit the deadly health consequences of internationally banned weapons, some of which could lead to the "genocide" of civilians.

Article 25 of the Hague Regulations concerning the Laws and Customs of War on Land prohibits "attacking or bombarding towns, villages, dwellings, or buildings which are not defended."

Article 53 of the Fourth Geneva Convention states that "any destruction by the occupying power of real or personal property belonging individually or collectively to private persons, or to the State, or to other public authorities, or to social or cooperative organizations, is prohibited, except where such destruction is rendered absolutely necessary by military operations."

According to Article 147 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, the destruction of property that is not justified by military necessity and on a large scale is considered a serious violation that requires prosecution. Such practices are also classified as war crimes under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.

The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Observatory has called for the formation of an independent international investigative committee to assess the magnitude of explosives and internationally banned weapons used and continue to be used by Israel against civilians in the Gaza Strip.

This committee would hold accountable those responsible, including those who issued orders, made plans, executed actions, and took measures aimed at achieving justice for Palestinian victims.