Labour’s Curran employed thanks to Minister

The full extent of the politicisation of the public service is being revealed.

First we learnt that for the high crime of having a journalist boyfriend who went off to work for John Key, that Madeleine Setchell was blacklisted by not one but two and maybe even three Ministries.  Despite glowing recommendations about her ability and professionalism, cowardly CEOs deferred to their Minister’s wishes as to who not to hire.

But it gets even worse.  They also defer to their Ministers as who to hire.  At the same time as Setchell is getting illegally fired, Hugh Logan is hiring a Clare Curran to do some communications work for the Environment Ministry.  Why did he hire Curran?  Because David Parker suggested she be hired.

Now Clare Curran is an unusual name.  Wasn’t there a Clare Curran who presented a paper to a Labour Party conference on the need to “reframe” Labour’s language to increase public interest in its policies?

Also I’m sure there is a Clare Curran who is actually on the ruling Council of the Labour Party?

Possibly the same Clare Curran who is seeking the Labour Party nomination for Dunedin South?

Now tie this all into Mark Prebble’s comments that he is concerned that the Environment Ministry may be planning to run an information campaign which will be too political, and hence that was a factor in getting rid of Setchell.  Who then better to help devise the campaign than Labour’s own comms expert?

Ministers have been caught with their dirty little hands all over the public service.   Almost as bad as the Ministers are the CEOs who are complicit.  Martin Kay blogs on Hugh Logan’s woeful performance.

So why have no heads rolled?  Benson-Pope was sacked for lying not for interfering. How widespread is the practice of CEOs consulting their Ministers over staff appointments?