Pankratous
Member
Why not choose a better yet cheaper device than iPad?
Also I doubt they need a high performance tablet in the first place...
Also I doubt they need a high performance tablet in the first place...
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All 650 Members of Parliament in the UK will receive an iPad Air 2
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BrettHeazy
Member
how many of these ipads will get left in a cafe/lounge thus leaking government documents?
industrian
will gently cradle you as time slowly ticks away.
Vanity. See my post above yours.
The true magic will come when MPs sell their iPads for a quick buck and then some dudes manage to recover deleted sensitive files from them. Or find that they weren't even deleted in the first place.
This is the thread where people on GAF at work say how terrible it is that politicians are on Facebook at work right?
The Prime Minister already has a bespoke real time news data and reporting app that is literally developed JUST FOR HIM on iOS, which seems a much poorer use of resource than this. Of course MPs need computer equipment. That is an entirely reasonable expense for the public to pay for, and the iPad Air 2 is competitively priced for a tablet of that size (and crucially has a biometric scanner, which is probably a non-negotiable requirement).
I'd actually much rather many MPs were paying attention to what their constituents were saying in real time on Twitter et al than listening the schoolyard braying of the other MPs around them during debates.
The Prime Minister already has a bespoke real time news data and reporting app that is literally developed JUST FOR HIM on iOS, which seems a much poorer use of resource than this. Of course MPs need computer equipment. That is an entirely reasonable expense for the public to pay for, and the iPad Air 2 is competitively priced for a tablet of that size (and crucially has a biometric scanner, which is probably a non-negotiable requirement).
I'd actually much rather many MPs were paying attention to what their constituents were saying in real time on Twitter et al than listening the schoolyard braying of the other MPs around them during debates.
Shuggananas
Banned
This happened in Poland 3 years ago.
Of course, what could have gone wrong
I guess most use them in an appropriate way though
Well, tablets are facebook machines, pretty much.
industrian
will gently cradle you as time slowly ticks away.
Why do they need £67,060 a year?
Why do they need to claim taxpayers money to pay 89p for a bath plug?
Ideally the government would have organised for the creation of ultra-secure, fully-encrypted, foolproof, untrackable, and generally high quality tablets for all their MPs.
But the fact I couldn't keep a straight face typing that is all the evidence you need. MPs want to look stylish, and organising the creation of a tablet like that would have cost £8 billion and taken 16 years. And none of them would work. So fuck it, just buy them all iPads.
Daffy Duck
Member
"We're all in this together"
QuicheFontaine
Member
I love the idea of him going into the conference the next year with his shiny new Blackberry, and everyone else is carrying iPhones.
industrian
will gently cradle you as time slowly ticks away.
First of all this is £200,000 of taxpayers money during the age of austerity.
Then you ask why a person earning over £60,000 a year can't buy one for themselves.
Then you also take a look at these MPs who already fiddle the expenses system to pay for - amongst other things - flats in London from one of their relatives/friends before selling them on for a personal profit.
Then you also take into consideration the other wondrous joys of how taxpayers money is spent by all these wondrous human beings for them to do whatever they please.
Whilst I understand the innate benefits of technology for making working easier. I also understand the innately disgusting nature of how a lot of these MPs work the system for every penny that they can.
industrian
will gently cradle you as time slowly ticks away.
It has probably happened.
I forgot to mention that guys who work in high positions for IT in local governments purely go to conventions like these to work their way to similarly high position in the private sector. Because from my experience, IT in local government is the most boring shit in the world with equally shitty pay.
I don't really see the problem.
Because the device must be secure...
It's why only government employees in the US still use Blackberry's, though they are gradually shifting to iPhones.
Because the device must be secure...
It's why only government employees in the US still use Blackberry's, though they are gradually shifting to iPhones.
industrian
will gently cradle you as time slowly ticks away.
I'm waiting to hear the follow-up news that Westminster will buy Scottish Parliament MSPs entry-level Android tablets from some no-name Chinese manufacturers.
And Welsh Assembly members will be given Lexibooks.
And Welsh Assembly members will be given Lexibooks.
Oh don't be stupid. It is an entirely reasonable expense. "Age of austerity" is a stupid buzzphrase, it doesn't mean anything. It is important for a government to spend responsibly. That means that sometimes they do need to buy things however.
Why should they for a work system? Should an office worker who earns £60k have to buy their own desk?
Indeed, that's terrible. But we don't get those things fixed by bleating out expletives about any expense at all, even if it's reasonable.
Then complain about that system and not every bit of spend, because that just makes it look like the public can't be satisfied so there's no point even trying.
ihavetobecomeabarberinitaly'sparliament-catinsuitstaringovernewspaper.jpg
ImpalingNarwhal
Member
My mom's fifth grade students received Chromebooks. I think that is far more egregious.
Pila
Member
You should aim for becoming some kind of a Big Secretary of Something, they make an income double than that. Just don't cross my way if you succeed, I don't brake for Parliament staff/politicians.
SneakyStephan
Banned
They couldn't get them those 50£ intel atom tablets instead? Those even have twice the memory and an sd card slot.
Why does it have to be some expensive fashion item.
Why does it have to be some expensive fashion item.
They are protected on multiple layers that work additional to the iOS secruity stuff.
Read my posts.
Are there business solutions that grant access to mail and datas without uploading everything to Google?
Any public institutuion, espescially governments outside the USA who use similar services after the NSA-leaks should be sued because of treason.
JonathanEx
Member
Watching the recent documentary about Parliament, there's so much paperwork going round that should really be digitised - hundreds of massive documents every day. If giving them iPads helps, makes things more efficient for getting work done at a not-unreasonable cost, great.
Hot Coldman
Banned
This seems useful, because if the UK government is anything, it's hilariously archaic in technological terms.
What on earth is the problem with this? Many companies and public sector organisations give their senior management IPads - I see them all the time at conferences and the like. They are really handy productivity devices for senior managers whom you wouldn't have using Excel anyway?
If you're going to bring that up atleast bring up the most stupid, a bird bath. haha.
PJV3
Member
Wasn't it a deluxe duck house?
TheLegendOfMart
Banned
It does when public services are being cut left, right and center, my local council has a disproportionate level of funding and has had to cut back on bus service subsidies meaning a lot of the routes that used to run which ran regularly now no longer exist and it is difficult for me to get to where I need to go without having to change 3-4 buses. My local library now is only open 3 days a week when it used to be open 6. Street cleaners rarely venture out when they used to come weekly meaning the walkways around my area have so many dead leaves it makes it slippery and dangerous.
Council funding for other services has been dramatically cut, mine doesn't even get any government money for providing housing benefit to people, they have to raise their own money which means they cant give people the benefit at the full rate even if they are eligible for it.
Yet these millionaire toffs get £200,000 to spend on equipment they don't need and can probably afford to buy themselves.
Why does it have to be a £400 tablet, Android L has Samsung Knox built in that has Enterprise level mobile security, surely they could pick up a sub £200 Android Tablet.
Why do they even need tablets AND laptops anyway?
Afaik Bertha at the local office block doesn't use tax payer money and the business she works for already bought the desk.
Business use cases for tablets are quite small. Like I've seen tons of people try, and some people confuse that with it being actually useful, but over the last couple of years, fewer and fewer actually stick with them. I think laptops and good old pen and paper are just better for notetaking due to writing ergonomics, and the over use of documents in meetings is usually managerial incompetence and a waste of time. Internet usage is pretty reasonable I guess but behavior I notice is people use their phone with the tablet for that, choosing to not leave the open app.
Overall I think it's very shoehorned on the back of technology hype and not a reasonable expense but an executive distraction. So no doubt it's even worse when the government pays for it.
Overall I think it's very shoehorned on the back of technology hype and not a reasonable expense but an executive distraction. So no doubt it's even worse when the government pays for it.
CyclopsRock
Member
But that whole situation more or less came about *because* Rising the actual salary was considered too toxic a decision for the MPs to male about themselves so they did it by proxy via the expenses system. I'd argue that the expenses system wouldn't be as extensive now of an independent body had been allowed to raise it BUT I'd rather not were democratically accountable - like the Low Pay Commission or something.
Parliament's printing bill is WAY over £200k. If it makes savings there they might well pay for themselves very quickly.
There isn't a ten inch Samsung tablet with Knox and a fingerprint scanner, and if there was it would probably be roughly the same price as an iPad (the RRP of a Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.5 is £399, the same as an iPad Air 2, and that doesn't have a fingerprint scanner). Also, and I say this as someone who prefers Android to iOS, Android's enterprise level provisioning tools for corporate security are nowhere near as good or as robust as the ones available for iOS right now. Not even close.
Tablets are good for getting real time data and reading documents in a way laptops aren't. A Surface might be a good solution but they're very expensive and don't have biometric security.
So if the office block is a council one they should have to buy their own desk???
This is going to be an iPad for use by the MP, it's not a gift. If they step down they'd have to give it back. It's exactly the same as a desk.
PS3GamerKyle
Member
Got any stats/figures? Genuinely interested
Facism
Member
maybe they can turn the street lights back on after 12am.
So... are we pretending that £200,000 is a noteworthy or even noticeable portion of annual government spending?
2009 called, it wants its post back
CyclopsRock
Member
I've already said that I don't care that they're getting them, but every company I know that gives its employees thing like this - company phones, computers, tablets etc - consider them deprecated after 3 years and typically lets the employee keep them. It's a form of benefit to the employee that has no tax implications for either (because it's value is technically £0 when it's "gifted" it isn't considered payment) because the alternative is just throwing them away. Given that the vast majority of the MP's that get these tablets will be in their seats for 5 years, I wouldn't be surprised if they are de facto gifts but like I said, I really don't care.
this is no big thing. it's not even a small thing. to call a nano sized thing would be magnifying it by a very large number.
I work around politicians (australian) and what you see isn't what you get. they are very human, and most of them work pretty hard on stuff that never makes the news.
all of the ones i've worked with are constantly using whatever tech they have to read and communicate and plan almost constantly. they have their dairies, constituency emails, parliementry email, party email, private email and equivalent dairies. they are often away and lots have kids so they Skype, etc etc etc. they also have news and events they must keep on top of so they read a lot of press etc.
an iPad as far as i can see is a pretty useful weapon and most i've seen have one.
honestly. some of you need a dose of perspective. their image isn't great and sometimes some of them act like pricks. but most of them are decent people doing what they can. if they get an iPad to help them, so be it. it's hardly an expense.
I work around politicians (australian) and what you see isn't what you get. they are very human, and most of them work pretty hard on stuff that never makes the news.
all of the ones i've worked with are constantly using whatever tech they have to read and communicate and plan almost constantly. they have their dairies, constituency emails, parliementry email, party email, private email and equivalent dairies. they are often away and lots have kids so they Skype, etc etc etc. they also have news and events they must keep on top of so they read a lot of press etc.
an iPad as far as i can see is a pretty useful weapon and most i've seen have one.
honestly. some of you need a dose of perspective. their image isn't great and sometimes some of them act like pricks. but most of them are decent people doing what they can. if they get an iPad to help them, so be it. it's hardly an expense.
Dreams-Visions
Member
If it increases their organization and efficiency, I don't see the problem at all. It's just a question of what sort of custom software has been engineered to meet the needs of Parliament.
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