Comments on: EC auditors criticize Galileo overruns

The project to develop a European civilian rival to the U.S. military's GPS system was hampered by poor management, the European Court of Auditors has found.

[MadLyb]

Good to know that the EU is catching up with the US in ability to mismanage large technology initiatives. Maybe this will lead to competition to see which can do a poorer job.

8^P

[Seaspray0]

Excellent! LOL

[MMC Racing]

20 billion just to protect themselves incase the US decided to turn ours off.. Makes sense.

[zevjansson]

Gasp! Are you sure this wasn't Microsoft's fault? I'm sure they were involved somehow, we can get the over budget moneis back by "fining" them for this... I'm certain they've done something anti-competitive with this... I'm certain EU consumers have been harmed by M$ is some way related to GPS.... this strategy has worked in the past for the EU... why stop now?

[gjl229]

Let's see. A European multi-national commission and a European multi-national agency combine forces to create a European multi-national, multi-commission/agency organization (MNMCAO) to create a public-private partnership. Of course.

Then we find that the MNMCAO inadequately conceived an ill-prepared plan that it was "forced" to negotiate with private organizations who've learned how to look after themselves.

As an aside, I still cannot find anything in this article to indicate who "forced" the MNMCAO to negotiate anything. Tom, this is why you shouldn't use the passive voice. It hides responsibility. I know you know better. Oh, wait. This is about the EU/EC. Never mind. Perfect occasion for use of the passive voice and obscured assignment of responsibility.

OK, where were we? Oh, yes. We are affecting to be surprised that an organization of organizations of more or less sovereign nations handled technology and project management in a political rather than effective manner.

I won't blame this on the EU or EC. They're in enough trouble over their nonsensical and peurile concept that a pint of beer must be replaced by the correct (if effete) number of milliliters. And that shopkeepers need be arrested for selling vegetable marrow by the pound instead of the newton.

Better call the auditors back in. They've a fertile field, I'm sure.

[WriteRight]

@gil229

"Then we find that the MNMCAO inadequately conceived an ill-prepared plan that it was "forced" to negotiate with private organizations who've learned how to look after themselves."

Not sure what you mean here. Could you please point out where in the article it states that they, or anyone else for that matter, were "forced" to negotiate anything with anybody.

"They're in enough trouble over their nonsensical and peurile concept that a pint of beer must be replaced by the correct (if effete) number of milliliters. And that shopkeepers need be arrested for selling vegetable marrow by the pound instead of the newton. "

Hilarious! Where in heavens sake did you get that one from? I have the impression that you have never been in this part of the world at all. We have been using the metric system on the European continent since Napoleonic times and have since then never needed to calculate pints into their correct litre volumes. The only EU-country I know of that does sell beer by the pint is Britain and the drinkers there seem happily oblivious to how many millilitres a pint has as long as it tastes good. And as for your pounds and Newtons, are you really sure you know what you're talking about here? Or when was the last time you bought any groceries by the Newton? Two Newtons of tomatoes please, maybe? Try it next time you're in France at the local market and see what you get. The pound is a unit of mass, the Newton is a unit of force.

[mupptasstic]

"And that shopkeepers need be arrested for selling vegetable marrow by the pound instead of the newton. "

You kind of shot yourself in the foot there mate....

[mupptasstic]

"Gasp! Are you sure this wasn't Microsoft's fault? I'm sure they were involved somehow, we can get the over budget moneis back by "fining" them for this... I'm certain they've done something anti-competitive with this... I'm certain EU consumers have been harmed by M$ is some way related to GPS.... this strategy has worked in the past for the EU... why stop now?"

Microsoft's tapped out of the kind of cash we need, so we're working on something to hose Apple, Boeing and a few others......this should be the motherlode of cash hauls.