Civil service

expressing opinion on government policy
- 澳洲高等法院周三裁定，政府早年解僱一名在網上批評政府移民政策的女公務員合法，並同時確定公務員須無任何政治立場。女公務員的代表律師憂慮，有關裁決對該國二百萬名公務員表達政見將有重大影響。https://orientaldaily.on.cc/cnt/china_world/20190808/00180_004.html


revolving door
- http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/d53d3798-9b4b-11e4-b651-00144feabdc0.html A “revolving door” between US regulators and banks emphatically exists, according to new statistics published by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, which last year attracted criticism for its alleged coziness to Goldman Sachs. The paper published on the New York Fed’s website concludes that banking regulators move into the private sector when the economy is booming, while straitened times result in more former bankers joining regulatory agencies. Restricting hiring by either banks or regulators, however, could result in poor retention of quality staff by government authorities, the study claims.
- EU

• https://www.ft.com/content/38f96af2-277d-11e8-9274-2b13fccdc744 Europe’s revolving door for less attention-grabbing names who move between the public and private sectors is an equally concerning aspect of the Brussels lobbying industry. This is particularly apparent in the EU quarter of Brussels, where Brexit-related consultancy work is booming. The UK’s opaque road map might confuse and concern many, but that uncertainty helps to feed the lobbying industry. The most lucrative opportunities come from the ability to trade on insider networks. Former EU leaders — member state and institutional — are a major currency but Brussels officials are particularly attractive, given their detailed, technical knowledge of the files. EU institutions are alive to this, and do try to contain the more blatant attempts to profit. So-called “cooling off” rules for commissioners have recently been strengthened. But the usefulness of insiders to lobbying firms, corporations and regimes in need of a boost to their image ensures that there is a constant battle between the ethical demands of the administration and the commercial or political needs of others. One Brussels firm boasts “former top EU officials, leading and high-profile EU politicians and high-profile EU attorneys” and talks up its “wins” for clients through shifting EU institutional and member state opinion. Others, as an enticement, detail the precise roles former officials have had in formulating specific EU regulations. The lack of scrutiny by the citizens of member states can allow the well networked to influence regulation by smooth insertions or deletions of critical amendments, the relevance of which may not become apparent for a long time. Geopolitics, and the EU’s increasing global regulatory role, demands and ensures a stream of post-mandate high-flyers with influential former networks.