back to article Top personnel general joined Capita months after firm won its Army recruiting IT contract

The general overseeing British Army recruitment joined Capita shortly after the company won its "disastrous" Recruiting Partnership Programme (RPP) with the Ministry of Defence. The Times has reported that Lieutenant General Sir Mark Mans applied to join the notorious outsourcing firm just two months after retiring in December …

  1. Trollslayer

    And who will lose out?

    Oh yes, everyone except those with their trotters in the troughs.

    Apologies to our porcine friends.

    1. Hans Neeson-Bumpsadese Silver badge

      Re: And who will lose out?

      Oh yes, everyone except those with their trotters in the troughs.

      I think the correct posture is snouts in troughs, but given the level of incompetence these organisations show I wouldn't be surprised if they even managed to get that wrong.

    2. Kane

      Re: And who will lose out?

      "Oh yes, everyone except those with their trotters in the troughs."

      With your head down in the pig bin

      Saying 'Keep on digging'

      Pig stain on your fat chin

      What do you hope to find

      Down in the pig mine?

      You're nearly a laugh

      You're nearly a laugh

      But you're really a cry

    3. macjules
      Paris Hilton

      Re: And who will lose out?

      Please don't insult pigs. They are obviously a lot less greedy than many generals, can probably use a map and GPS far better than your average subaltern and they would never put all trotters in the trough, unlike our erstwhile politicians.

      Pigs are useful animals. High ranking officers, Capita staff and corrupt politicians less so.

      1. A.P. Veening Silver badge

        Re: And who will lose out?

        "Pigs are useful animals. High ranking officers, Capita staff and corrupt politicians less so."

        High ranking officers, Capita staff and corrupt politicians are neither useful nor animals (and most definitely not human either).

        1. Rich 11

          Re: And who will lose out?

          (and most definitely not human either).

          Long pig?

  2. @JagPatel3

    Lobbying and corruption in the defence industry

    The ‘revolving door’ is one reason why public trust in Government and Public Sector institutions has fallen to a new low. This is because the twin evils of lobbying and corruption rear their ugly heads every time taxpayers’ money crosses the boundary between the Public Sector and the Private Sector.

    Whereas media focus is more often on the small number of high-profile political elite who shamelessly exploit their previous contacts and know-how they have accumulated whilst in the pay of the State to line their own pockets and unwittingly skew the market in favour of their new paymasters in the Private Sector, the journey made by thousands of ordinary public servants underneath them, who are also looking to follow the example set by their political masters and cash-in on this bonanza, has escaped scrutiny.

    Of course, everyone has a right to sell their labour in the free market to whomsoever they wish, for whatever price they can command. However, the brazen way the newly-retired political elite have gone about exercising this freedom without any checks and controls on the way they go about disseminating privileged information about inner workings of Government is scandalous, and always to the detriment of taxpayers – which is what they promised they would protect whilst in the pay of the State!

    The military-political-industrial complex has been the original model for lobbying and corruption from the earliest of times – indeed, the career prospects of people in the pay of the State are inextricably linked to those with the means to produce weapons systems, facilitated by the ‘revolving door’ and intense lobbying behind the scenes where it matters most, in the corridors of power inhabited by the same, self-serving political elite.

    At a time when the headcount at UK MoD’s defence equipment acquisition organisation at Abbey Wood, Bristol is being forcibly slashed as part of the 2015 Spending Review settlement with the Treasury, there exists an extremely high risk that departing procurement officials, including those who have not previously taken part in the assessment of invitation to tender responses, will be persuaded to pocket corresponding memory sticks (or CDs) and offer them in return for employment, to competitors of owners of these same CDs – thereby transferring innovative design solutions and Intellectual Property Rights which can then be used by unscrupulous recipients, to grab a larger share of the defence market.

    Such behaviour only reinforces the view that lower-level defence procurement officials have nothing to offer potential employers in the Private Sector (unlike the political elite), except someone else’s (stolen) property! And when these people arrive on Contractors’ premises, they promptly become a burden on fellow co-workers and the payroll because they do not have the necessary skills (due to being selected for reasons other than merit) as task performers to add value to the business, only costs.

    What’s more, because many Defence Contractors do not have a ‘Code on Ethical Behaviour in Business’ in place, they will not only happily accept such proprietary information without any qualms, but also encourage its unauthorised removal from MoD Abbey Wood – yet they would not want their own CDs to fall into the hands of their Competitors.

    Such is their twisted sense of morality!

    There is something very disturbing about people who have previously, as public servants sworn undying allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, only to then engage in defrauding Her Majesty’s Government of taxpayers’ money on behalf of vested interests, whilst pursuing a second career in the Private Sector.

    @JagPatel3

    1. Commswonk

      Re: Lobbying and corruption in the defence industry

      @JagPatel3: Very well said...

      We (the electorate) are being played for fools because there is virtually nothing that we can do about it, and "they" know it.

      My only quibble might be the inclusion of the word "defence" in your Title; it's far more widespread than that. Far, far more...

    2. Mark 85

      Re: Lobbying and corruption in the defence industry

      In other words... the good-old-boy mode of operation is still in effect and doing very well. Is there any government where this does not happen? Any agency of any government?

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Oh, it's not just defence.

    It's not just defence. If you are terribly bored, you might want to check the timeline of the former place of work of people put in charge of the National Audit Office and the projects they audited. You may find an interesting intersect in a project that caused quite a lot of controversy, yet that specific little detail was missed by all.

    Needless to say, millions were wasted, huge profits were enjoyed by participants and, not entirely unsurprising, the NAO audit carefully avoided what it should have been looking for.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Oh, it's not just defence.

      And it's not just people moving from one job to another. Consider the case of the cabinet member (I forget which one) who is married to a senior executive at G4S...and mysteriously G4S keep getting awarded government contracts despite their track record.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Oh, it's not just defence.

        The other general in charge of recruiting, Gen Nugee, is a relative of Lady Nugee, the shadow defence sec. Coincidence?

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Join Capita and see the world, your country needs you !

    Who says the Capita system can't recruit soldiers?

  5. JJKing
    Devil

    The squaddies sweat and die but this prick lines his pockets. NO HONOUR!

    Lt General Mans' "cadence". Left, left but I'm paid right?

  6. 33rpm

    Same old...

    This is a horrible problem in the US DOD. Whether it was a the scum who forced all DOD techs to get the CompTIA certs who were later put on the CompTIA board or the great many other crap scams retired officers and politicians pulled.

  7. s. pam
    Thumb Up

    No different than in Trumpland

    On Planet Trump in the USA this kind of crap happens all the time, not surprised at all!

    1. Mark 85

      Re: No different than in Trumpland

      Don't blame him. The gravy train has been running along since about the founding of the US. It's just been since WWII that things have been finely honed with this.

    2. sanmigueelbeer Silver badge

      Re: No different than in Trumpland

      On Planet Trump in the USA this kind of crap happens all the time

      Don't blame Don.

      Look for Kellog, Brown & Root (KBR). They made a ton (US$ billion) in military contract during the war in Iraq. Pay close attention to the members of the board. I believe there was a recently deceased US president in that list.

  8. Jonathan Richards 1 Silver badge
    Stop

    Yes, Sir.

    I'd just offer the observation that ACOBA is taking a much too narrow view of what should disqualify a retired general from taking up such a post. Even if he hadn't had a hand in the recruitment contract negotiation, there he is now, as a Capita employee, and still receiving the deference which is bound to be given (and expected) from colleagues remaining in the Army command structure. A retiring general or admiral or air vice-marshal doesn't suddenly become an average middle-aged executive because he (or she!) is suddenly out of uniform. I suspect that it is this "clout" and knowledge that makes the retiree attractive.

  9. BebopWeBop

    I am well aware of ex colleagues who left the MoD at mid-high rank, and who smoothly moved in to occupations where imho there are major challenges to keeping poachers apart from game keepers. It would surprise few to know that end of career postings to Abbeywood (procurement) were very popular

  10. Anonymous Coward
    IT Angle

    Revolving door public private directorships

    With these kinds of directorships, what you have to actually do to earn your salary, is turn up twice a year still breathing and with a pulse.

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