John Allen

Barbie Latza Nadeau at The Daily Beast writes about all the conspiracy theories that are flying around about Pope Benedict resigning. One thing is in common with a few of them…they feature dodgy catholic ratbags:

While the Catholic Church sex-abuse scandal was obviously a huge weight on the pope’s shoulders, Vatican watchers say it was actually the VatiLeaks butler saga and allegations of impropriety at the Vatican Bank that played more important roles in his resignation. “Benedict may not have quit because of the pedophilia scandals or any other specific controversy,” says Vatican expert John Allen. “But it’s hard to believe they didn’t play a role, at least as background.”

Financial impropiety, and dirty filthy pedo priests…then there are the health scare rumours:  Read more »

ᔥ Stuff.co.nz

Why doesn’t McCully back John Allen and make a case for reducing the number of overpaid, useless bludgers who return bugger all for New Zealand. And why doesn’t he get the market to set the rate for MFAT bureaucrats. If they want to work in foreign affairs but don’t like getting their perks cut they should work for another foreign affairs agency.

Foreign Affairs boss John Allen may be on a collision course with the Government after fresh disquiet among ministry staff that changes to a controversial restructuring plan do not go far enough.
In a letter to staff, leaked to Fairfax, Mr Allen confirms he has again pushed back the deadline for final decisions after a backlash over proposals to make 600 staff reapply for roles, slash overseas living allowances, outsource consular services, slash remuneration for some staff depending on their positions, and make hundreds of jobs redundant.

He has backed down on several proposals, including roughly halving the number of positions to be axed, after Foreign Minister Murray McCully delivered a thinly veiled warning that some of his proposals went too far, while signalling that others did not go far enough to shift the ministry’s strategic focus in line with Government policy.

But after an extraordinary gathering of about 40 heads of mission for crisis talks in Wellington this month, Mr Allen looks set to proceed with some of the more contentious changes, while making other changes that have caused fresh unease among staff.

It is understood some have gone over the top of Foreign Affairs and Trade Ministry bosses and approached senior government ministers directly over their concern that the exodus of top staff already underway will only accelerate now that it appears Mr Allen is determined to stick with parts of his controversial plan.

Murray McCully is cutting the bloat out of MFaT:

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) has confirmed it is cutting around 300 staff as Finance Minister Bill English says it’s crunch time for the public sector.

MFAT’s chief executive John Allen this afternoon said it would be cutting 305 staff.

The news came as English said Kiwis were about to see the public service change.

English said the Government had last year told public sector chief executives to look at their own operations and ”tell us how they could be improved to deliver better services with little or no new money”.

”We gave them time to do that. We’re now at that point. That means we’ll see quite a change in how public services are delivered.”

Allen said 600 MFAT staff would have to reapply for their jobs in new specialist roles. The ministry has 1340 staff, half of which are offshore

He also confirmed changes to remuneration including offshore allowances. Staff would be asked to make a “nominal contribution” to their living costs overseas.

Only Labour could complain about axing bureaucrats:

Labour’s Foreign Affairs spokesman Phil Goff said the MFAT’s cuts were disastrous at a time when New Zealand’s national interests were at risk from an unstable world.

Hmmm…I seem to remember a certain Prime Minister telling us we lived in a benign strategic environment. Has something changed. But the real question that needs to be asked of Phil Goff is “If not now then when would be a good time to cut staff?”

John Allen hasn’t mentioned bullshit towers but he might be thinking about bullshit missions in places where we don’t need them.

Restructuring at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, in which more than 200 jobs or a fifth of its staff are likely to go and some overseas posts closed, is expected to be detailed shortly, the Herald understands.

Plans to cut about 200 of about 900 staff at the ministry were revealed in the State Services Commission’s report on the Government “cap” on public service numbers in September last year.

Chief executive John Allen is understood to have indicated to staff he expects more than 200 jobs to go as the ministry is restructured under Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully’s plan to create “a leaner, more adaptable organisation, better able to meet New Zealand’s future needs”.

While he is at it perhaps he might like to look at New Zealand’s most expensive flat.