Of course. The job of MInisters is to set policies; the Civil Service’s task is to find ways of implementing them.
Is it useful for a minister to have experience in the field that their brief covers? Yes of course - but there is a limited pool of talent available and someone who is efficient and can exercise common sense (and develop ideas in conjunction with Cabinet colleagues and advice from experts) may be more effective than a narrow specialist, however well qualified.
Isn’t she Muslim? If so, the Holy Quran has some bad news for her.
“Engaging in interest-based lending or borrowing, also known as usury or riba, is expressly forbidden several times in the Quran. For example, in Surah Al-Baqarah 2:275, it states that “Allah has permitted trade and forbidden usury.”
We had one that would not approach the bar to buy a round citing the kuran but was more than happy to take a cola from those of us that would. He was also one of the most kniving little turds I have ever come across. Taking backhanders from trades and falsely adding his cut to residents invoices, until he got caught. IT guy found invoices going back 4 years where he had been doing this to residents, naturally he attended his mosque every Friday, probably to tell Allah how clever he had been.
This is more a cultural thing than a religious thing, but back when I was in retailing I found Arab customers the hardest to deal with - lots of haggling and then pushing for freebies after a spec had been agreed (this was when I sold fireplaces).
The challenge comes when the advice doesn’t align with the minister’s preconceptions or desires. Part of the civil servant’s duty is to help ministers stay on the right side of the law.
However, at the end of the day, if the minister isn’t happy to follow the civil service advice, they’re fully enabled to issue a written ministerial direction that the civil service must follow. Oddly, they’re often very reluctant to do that.
That would because the Civil Service is one big club and if you upset one part of it, you upset all of it and they’re the club that controls a Minister’s pay and pension.
I saw the joke after you pointed it out! Yes, I have had savings account with a few islamic banks, Rayan and gatehouse(?) simply because it was the highest rate at the time. They give a ‘profit’ rate, not an interest rate - the profit is not guaranteed but has never not been honoured. Savings are FSCS protected.
