The case of the mislaid file

The case of the mislaid file

NEWS: National MP Simon Power is calling for heads to roll after the discovery of a file on an Auckland street containing confidential parole details of convicted killers like Bailey Junior Kuariki and David Tamihere. The file is now in the hands of blogger Martin 'Bomber' Bradbury, who failed to return the file this morning to the police as he promised yesterday.  Meanwhile, Corrections Department head Barry Matthews and minister Phil Goff have gone to bat to defend the department...  and the employee who mislaid the file is no leave.

Everyone who's commented on this news has expressed surprise at what's happened.  But what I'm surprised about is that anyone could be surprised about any of it. 

Let's face it, this is what bureaucrats do --  they fuck up.  They take files out of places they shouldn't, they lose files, they cover up. If they were in any way competent, they'd go out and get a real job.

And this is what the bureaucrats' bosses do when they fuck up -- they run for cover. They explain they're 'overworked.'

And this is what the Minister in charge does when his department is under pressure -- he argues everyone is performing well in a department that's under pressure.

And this is what Simon Power does when he hears news that bureaucrats have fucked up and are running for cover -- he calls for their heads to roll and makes a play for his head to appear on the six o'clock news. (Just wait until a year from now when he'll be telling us that all the bureaucrats he's been abusing for six years are now performing perfectly "in a department that's under pressure.")

So everyone is behaving exactly as you'd expect them to in the sort of story we've all seen before. 

And Mr Bradbury?  No surprise there either.  This is what Martin Bradbury has done for most of his life -- he's taken every opportunity he can to be a pain in the arse.

So why anybody is surprised about how anybody is acting really does surprise me.  Meanwhile, the names and details of two convicted killers are out in the public domain. Good.  The more we learn about how these scumbags are going to be let out, the better.