Civil Service games

[Roger de Coverly]

The Daily Mail has a rant about the Civil Service

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... s-day.html

In which it says

The sports on offer included athletics, football, swimming, fencing, touch rugby, golf, netball, mixed rounders and chess

and also

The Home Office, the Department for Work and Pensions and the Scottish Government all had employees at the games, after which officials cavorted at a drunken fancy-dress party dressed as characters including Buzz Lightyear, Darth Vader and the Smurfs.

It does appear that Chess was featured - see http://www.cscl.org.uk/ and scroll down to the entry for July 6th.

You would hope that with the general debauchery reported by the Mail, that they could have thrown in a pint a point tournament.

[Kevin Thurlow]

"You would hope that with the general debauchery reported by the Mail, that they could have thrown in a pint a point tournament."

I think some of the players might have being doing better than that.

The Mail is a little bit biased of course. Ever since the Civil Service Sports Council came into being in 1922, the idea was that competitors were allowed time off for some sporting activities. It was good for morale. More recently it has been at departmental discretion. My own department stopped giving time off in the early 90s, then we became "private" so we knew that argument was over. Other departments or offices still allow time off (or allow staff to use flexitime), but it is variable.

I run the national individual CS chess championship (the Loughborough event was a Rapidplay), and CSSC insist on knowing which "department the players represented", and I say "it's an individual event", and they still want to know the department. Most of the players do not get time off, so they do not consider they represent a department that does not support them.

CSSC issue guidelines on behaviour (I will try to dig out a copy) and they stress that you represent your department so if you are drunk at CS games, you will be reported to your department, who may take disciplinary procedures against you, (as technically you are still at work if you got the time off). I don't know if they actually do this. Last time a chessplayer got smashed at a CS event, the CSSC people were shocked and horrified and then quietly forgot about it.

[Christopher Kreuzer]

The Civil Service do seem to have a thing about fancy dress. At the recent Sunningdale event (which is held at the same site that houses the National School of Government, previously the Civil Service College) there were people wandering around in fancy dress and some notices up for what looked like motivational or task force meetings, with the headings "Harry Potter", "Star Wars", "Marvel Comics" and so on. Presumably it helps the team members bond or something. Maybe there is a niche market here for fancy dress chess congresses?

[Gareth Harley-Yeo]

I think you can blame the fancy dress on the Welsh. We started doing it on the Saturday night discos. Other regions slowly joined in and now it's all part of the course. I didn't attend the CSSC games this year as it was too expensive. Yes it's subsidised but they only knock say £50 off for a room which you have to book out for 3 days + travel. It's cheaper to enter an e2e4 event!

ps. The daily mail sucks.

[Jonathan Bryant]

FWIW, the cabbie who took me to Sunningdale on the Saturday morning insists that the 'civil service training centre' is actually some kind of MI6 front organisation.

You didn't hear that from me, mind.

[Kevin Thurlow]

"FWIW, the cabbie who took me to Sunningdale on the Saturday morning insists that the 'civil service training centre' is actually some kind of MI6 front organisation."

Beware of people carrying umbrellas...

[Paul Cooksey]

"FWIW, the cabbie who took me to Sunningdale on the Saturday morning insists that the 'civil service training centre' is actually some kind of MI6 front organisation."

I'm struggling to decide who is less likely to be seen playing chess dressed as a smurf, James Bond or George Smiley.

[Kevin Thurlow]

"Kevin Thurlow wrote:
"FWIW, the cabbie who took me to Sunningdale on the Saturday morning insists that the 'civil service training centre' is actually some kind of MI6 front organisation."
I'm struggling to decide who is less likely to be seen playing chess dressed as a smurf, James Bond or George Smiley"

Actually, I didn't write that!

I found the CSSC Code of Conduct

CSSC Sports and Leisure

Code of Conduct


1 Enjoy your competition - give your all and play to the full. Respect and applaud good play from your opponents as well as your own side and remember have fun!.

2 Be on time - as a basic courtesy, for all aspects of the event. Know the itinerary and how it affects you. No one appreciates a poor time keeper.

3 Know the rules of the game - adhere to them in practice and in spirit at all times. If you are unsure; ask for guidance before the event as ignorance or cheating will lose you the respect of those around you, and, more importantly, may cost you success.

4 Never argue with the referee/umpire - It is against the laws and spirit of the competition. It will gain you nothing and potentially cost you much. Remember that the referee or umpire is likely to be a volunteer and without their help the competition would not take place.


UNACCEPTABLE BEHAVIOUR WILL LEAD TO DISCIPLINARY ACTION

5 Participants should be mindful of their responsibilities - as a representative of their Department or Agency, their own CSSC Associations, and also of CSSC in general. Others may be watching and form opinions from what they see so make sure your conduct enhances the reputation of those you represent.

6 Be aware of the proper administration of the event - Report changes in availability and requirements to the organisers immediately and do not bring unauthorised guests to the event.

7 If there is a Presentation and/or Dinner at the conclusion of the competition - do your utmost to attend for your own enjoyment and as a mark of respect for your fellow competitors, colleagues and organisers."

Obviously this applies to all sports and is quite reasonable, but the tone is a bit patronising, and although item 5 is true to some extent, it reinforces CSSC's strange belief that when you play in an individual event that you are doing it for your department.

The disciplinary bit in block capitals is a threat that seems considerably stronger than the execution.

[Roger de Coverly]

Obviously this applies to all sports and is quite reasonable, but the tone is a bit patronising, and although item 5 is true to some extent, it reinforces CSSC's strange belief that when you play in an individual event that you are doing it for your department.

Even more so when you see the list of eligible employers. These include mobile phone company O2 and Spanish owned BAA.
The list is something of a social, economic and political history of nationalisations, privatisations and Quangos. For example BAA (British Airports Authority) is in, but not the former State airline, British Airways. BT is there, but not Centrica (British Gas).
The Food Standards Agency is in, but the other FSA, the Financial Services Authority is out.

[Mick Norris]

Obviously this applies to all sports and is quite reasonable, but the tone is a bit patronising, and although item 5 is true to some extent, it reinforces CSSC's strange belief that when you play in an individual event that you are doing it for your department.

Even more so when you see the list of eligible employers. These include mobile phone company O2 and Spanish owned BAA.
The list is something of a social, economic and political history of nationalisations, privatisations and Quangos. For example BAA (British Airports Authority) is in, but not the former State airline, British Airways. BT is there, but not Centrica (British Gas).
The Food Standards Agency is in, but the other FSA, the Financial Services Authority is out.

Good, the FSA can maybe concentrate on regulating properly, I pay them enough to do so

[Sean Hewitt]

The Civil Service do seem to have a thing about fancy dress. At the recent Sunningdale event (which is held at the same site that houses the National School of Government, previously the Civil Service College) there were people wandering around in fancy dress and some notices up for what looked like motivational or task force meetings, with the headings "Harry Potter", "Star Wars", "Marvel Comics" and so on. Presumably it helps the team members bond or something. Maybe there is a niche market here for fancy dress chess congresses?

Without wishing to let the facts get in the way of a good story, the people wandering around in fancy dress on Friday were not civil servants but in fact new graduate recruits from Deloittes.