quote

"couldn't secure a job anywhere outside the bloated public sector where mediocrity is too often shielded by weak and unprincipled HR policies".

so said david forster of some of the staff of the national health service. he made his claims on facebook.
what makes it an interesting piece is that mr. forster is a director of the yorkshire ambulance service.

obviously mr. forster is a pretty exceptional worker, a cut above the rest and with time enough to post his views on facebook.
you can only hope that mr. forster was expecting a response for his use of social media. there in his office, leaning back, hand linked behind his head, a smile on his lips as the thought "there that will give them food for thought, that will inspire them, come monday they will all have pulled their socks up and gotten their backs into it. my work here is done. i have made a difference."

for all the talk about social media being the new engine of change, when it comes to the most fundamental of things, it really isn't.

what social media really is, is a place where you sometimes need to think once, then think twice and then a third time before you write something about your employers and fellow employees while using your real name.
mostly it is not a good thing.

yorkshire ambulance service say the matter has been dealt with internally.
mr forster has declined to comment. if only he had done that in the first place.

epilogue
graham stuart (conservative mp) has defended mr forster (not that i would like to suggest mr. stuart has an agenda, but he has)he says: "people must be allowed their own private opinions. if those who work in tough public sector assignments can't let off steam even with friends then i think we are going too far in invading people's private rights."
key word here is 'private'. yes in private people should be allowed to think and say what they like.
by no stretch of the imagination is facebook private. once you put your views up there for the world to see there ceases to be any question of invasion.

what makes it worse is that mr. forster is in a position to make changes rather than to be carping on facebook.
easier to moan than to do work - perhaps mr forster isn't too unlike those he has dissed.