> > Question for the more politically-savvy amongst you: Why can't we vote for
>> who gets what portfolio? Why can't we insist that someone with half a clue
>> technically be put in charge of the IT portfolio?
>
>Perhaps for the same reason that military commanders are rarely, if ever,
>turning to politics to become Ministers of Defence. The theory, I
>believe, is that the Minister is supposed to operate from the perspective
>of acting on behalf of the constituents and the government (i.e. to carry
>out its policies). It is the role of permanent secretaries and other
>speicalists within the department to make sure that Minister is fully
>appraised of the details relating to his/her portfolio.
I figure that it's a holdover from the tradition that constituencies
are necessarily geographic. This of course reflects reality rather
less well now than it did when regions were first represented by
their local lords at Westminster. I have more in common with the
members of the link institute than I have with the people who live on
my street.
V.
-- | Viveka Weiley, Karmanaut. http://www.karmanaut.com | http://www.planet-earth.org | http://www.MacWeb3D.org | | hypermedia | virtual worlds | human interface | truth | beauty
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