Monday 21 December 2009

Why, Ruth, It's Almost As Big A Mystery...

...as the ones in your novels, isn't it?
The author and life peer Ruth Rendell, who has campaigned against FGM for 10 years, said: "When I helped take the Bill through Parliament seven years ago, I was very hopeful that we'd get convictions and that would then act as a deterrent for other people. But that has never happened and my heart bleeds for these girls. This mutilation is forever; nothing can be done to restore the clitoris, and that is just very sad for them. I have repeatedly asked questions of ministers from all departments about why there has never been a prosecution and why we still do not have a register of cases. But while they are always very sympathetic, nothing ever seems to get done..."
Of course, when your campaign is spearheaded by muddle-headed people like this, Ruth, it's no wonder you are on a hiding to nothing:
Jackie Mathers, a nurse from the Bristol Safeguarding Children Board, said: "These families do not do this out of spite or hatred; they believe this will give their daughters the best opportunities in life. We would like a conviction, not against the parents, but against a cutter, someone who makes a living from this."
/facepalm

Naturally enough, the government's response was incomprehensible bureaucratic doublespeak:
A Home Office spokesman said: "We have appointed an FGM co-ordinator to drive forward a co-ordinated government response to this appalling crime and make recommendations for future work."
Now, that's a high scoring sentence in Buzzword Bingo, for certain!

4 comments:

Simon Fawthrop said...

About 12 years ago I got a project in Switzerland to help sort out a failing mobile network roll out. It was an utter disaster, months behind schedule and going backwards.

When I did some analysis of the processes and organisation I realised why. Every time they thought they had a problem they employed a "coordinator". I realised then that co-ordinators co-ordinate, they don't actually deliver anything.

I swore that if I ever went back into corporate life I would never, ever, employ co-ordinators. I did and I didn't.

Co-ordinators are the "some must be done, this is doing something" crutch of the terminally incompetent politician and bureaucrat. Every last co-ordinator should be removed and managers made to deliver.

Brian, follower of Deornoth said...

Female genital mutilation co-ordinators?

WTF?

Angry Exile said...

"These families do not do this out of spite or hatred; they believe this will give their daughters the best opportunities in life."

So if Joe Fritzl had said he honestly believed he was giving his daughter the best opportunity...?

JuliaM said...

"I realised then that co-ordinators co-ordinate, they don't actually deliver anything."

But they are wonderful for gathering stats and building empires. And as you point out, for being seen to be doing something...

"So if Joe Fritzl had said he honestly believed he was giving his daughter the best opportunity...?"

Heh..!