What a shambles

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles /news/news.html?in_article_id=547050&in_page_i d=1770&ct=5

What has happened to this country of ours, why can't we now ever seem to get things right?

Once we lead the world in technology and introduced most of the rest of the world to products of our once inventive minds.

But it seems now we could not organise a p*ss-up in a brewery. Heaven knows what a mess we will make of hosting the Olympics.

[Tichfield]

This is what happens when you ave companies staffed with too many chiefs and not enough indians.

[Androcles]

Even more seriously, These are the people who:
a) want to cram more planes into our overcrowded flight paths;
b) build a third runway which will make a even worse;
c) have lied, cheated and fiddled the figures regarding the resulting pollution and aircraft noise;
d) abuse all those who dare to challenge them.

Personally, I wouldn't trust them with taking my bag off the the trolley, but hey, let's give them the keys to the safe and hope they don't run off with the money........

[Gromit]

I don't know what is wrong with the older generation these days. They never used to start brawling in public at the slightest annoyance. I blame their long deceased parents. All alcohol should immediately be banned from airports.

[anotheoldgit]

It is not only the older generation Gromit, everyone seems to be on a shorter fuse these days, any idea why?

[jake-the-peg]

Well working in the computer industry I can state the bleedin' obvious and say there was insufficient testing.

Why was there insufficient testing?

The usual reason is that commitments are given to deadlines and when problems come up that affect those timescales weak management attempts to stick to the original deadlines and cuts the last thing in the process which is testing.

Another wild guess is that the contractors were probably those who bid the lowest rather than those with the best track record of delivering.

So what's the matter with the country?

An obsession with making money and doing things on the cheap rather than quality.

And Yes I can see the obsession with the cost of the Olympics doing the same thing

[anotheoldgit]

Exactly I was taught "you only get what you pay for it".

[4GS]

Hardly a good advert for Britain is it?
I thought a major UK firm like BA would have got all off duty staff and volunteers trying out the new baggage handling systems before the grand opening, the BA management should have started testing the system a few months ago, culminating in a series of 'dry runs' getting staff and volunteers and their luggage to be processed from start to finish. That way they could iron out any difficulties before the first operational day turns into what you quite rightly call a shambles AOG

[brionon]

It's all the fault of Europe and/or New labour innit ?

[mike1222]

Gromit, I appreciate that your answer was "tongue in cheek" but on a more serious note, what is wrong with the older generation is the fact that they can recall when things were done properly in this once great country.

[Kromovaracun]

The Heathrow debacle is incredibly embarassing.

The problem? BAA.

[LoftyLottie]

I happen to know that Jake is absolutely right. Contractors was off site before their jobs were finished. It was inevitable that this would happen.

[LoftyLottie]

However, I would disagree that they hired the cheapest contractors. Purely bad management and failure to listen.

[Gromit]

mike1222. "the older generation can recall when things were done properly"

Is making a mess of things really a new trait of the British?

This is just a bit of inconvenience at an airport. Twenty years ago, I remember a bit of a mess at a Sheffield Football Ground.

Plenty of British ****-ups in the war of course.

Before that, the charge of the Light Brigade

etc.

[Kromovaracun]

Or Isandlwhana.

[malpals]

I just want to throw in my two pennorth. I think one of the reasons why we can't get anything right anymore is that unlike the "old days", people in charge of services like the fire brigade, NHS, Police, large companies, councils and universites don't "come up through the ranks" any more. What we have instead are university graduates who know all about the theory, but sadly nothing about the practice., and have been "fast-tracked" to very high positions, with not just shambolic but sometimes fatal consequences. I cannot abide to hear "suits" talking their business speak, knowing all about diversity yet not being able to organise the so called p*** up in a brewery. Another reason is of course just as Tichfield said - too may chiefs and not enough Indians. The Indians usually have a much better idea!! Sorry this sounds like a rant!

[mushroom25]

a case of life imitating art, perhaps?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0e10baH6cE&fea ture=related

[Gromit]

Apparently 'due to poor morale' a great many of the baggage handlers didn't turn up on the practice days before the terminal opened. Then yesterday they didn't get to their posts on time because they couldn't find a parking space. By the time they got to their jobs, they were overwhelmed.

Classic bad management it would seem.