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Following on from P2 – HERE

And mirrors.  What a cunning plan, the ultimate in defer, delay and distract; a classic.

Carmody has been posted to what is essentially a caretaker position.  No remit, no brief, no need to do anything but sign the pay-checks and collect his own, pop in once or twice a week make sure the dirt under the carpets is not too deep.  The pressure for reform and institution of the Forsyth review firmly on the back burner; Senate recommendations consigned to shelf ware and the whole reform charade, cast, crew and costumes, resting between seasons. It is a good plan, its despicable, disgusting, dishonest and dastardly; but its good. Hiatus – for all.

Caretaker Carmody wont be swinging a big axe, cleaning out the deadwood. Caretaker Carmody will not be wielding the broom to sweep up the filth left behind from the Skidmore party; Caretaker Carmody will not be breaking out the tool kit and doing the repairs; nope. Peace reigns.

The Board can relax while they plod their way through the process of hiring a new DAS. First there needs to series of meetings  to set down their ‘vision’ of what the new boy must be. Then a series of meetings to decide which agency should run the process. This followed by more meetings to decide if their selection criteria meets everyone’s expectations; then there is the minister to deal with; more meetings.  Then the final series where the minister finally, after much consultation with the Murky Machiavellian and hypnotherapy session with the ICAO manipulation team, actually decides to let the carefully orchestrated process begin.

Eventually – ‘their’ carefully selected handmaiden will be appointed, with much fanfare and meaningless promises of reform. The mandatory honey-moon period will be seasoned with lots of flesh pressing and pleas for industry cooperation; more meetings; more glossy, feel-good literature and a whole raft of carefully worded promises will, eventually be produced – for industry consultation. More meetings? Absolutely.

This is all first rate stuff – unless you own an aviation business or are employed by one. Industry will be left in the blasted wasteland; deserted by the minister, crippled by a useless department, hidebound by complex rules, forced, yet again, to survive on bread and water. But that’s all good; the dancing, dazzling, do-nothing minister will be off the hook with a hand crafted, gold plated excuse.

I say if Carmody is to keep the seat warm then he must be issued a ministerial directive to keep the reform process; pitiful as it is rolling.  I say the industry must not be side tracked or distracted from having their demands, for they are no longer requests, met for the reformation of CASA and of the laws which cripple industry progress.

Carmody either is or he ain’t DAS; either way, until Mike Smith is on a jet, with a mandate keep the pressure on; rope in the Senators. Begs, plead, demand – whatever it takes; just don’t, for pities sake, take the boot of the gas pedal and allow CASA or its board a twelvemonth to cover their sorry, collective arses.

I believe we can add another ‘D’ to miniscules list – Disgusting.  I also think its about time the ‘Board’ actually weighed in, stopped this pantomime, exercised their powers and do the bloody job they were hired to do – or bugger off and let someone else have a crack at it. The board track record has not, to date been remarkable, mundane perhaps, ineffective certainly, bordering on being about as much use as a chocolate fire wall.

No matter; but I do wonder, had Boyd been still running his wee ‘airline’ how he would view the latest insult. For it is an insult; told to wait patiently for another twelve to eighteen months to get the risible, pathetic comedy of ‘reform’ road show back on track, without momentum.  We all know, once that momentum is lost, industry is doomed to another three decades of purification.

Aye well; seems we have lost the blunt knife we were using at the gunfight. “Lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch’intrate”, seems appropriate.