HMRC's Woke Meltdown: 'Guilt of Being British' Seminar Banned – Taxpayers Finally Saved from Civil Service Nonsense

 

In a rare victory for common sense and taxpayer sanity, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has been slapped with new guidance banning "nonsense" civil servant network events during work hours. This crackdown comes hot on the heels of a jaw-dropping seminar titled Guilt of Being British: Listening Circle, organised by the HMRC Race Network – an event that had staff pondering the "emotional complexity" of national identity while clocked in and billing the public purse. If you're fed up with woke civil service excesses, this is the story of how absurdity finally met its match, but not without leaving a trail of wasted hours and eye-rolls in its wake.

The Absurdity of HMRC's 'Guilt Trip' Seminar: A Deep Dive into Diversity Gone Mad

Picture this: It's a balmy summer day in 2025, and instead of chasing tax evaders or processing refunds, HMRC employees are logging into a one-hour virtual session to unpack the "guilt, pride, and identity" tied to being British. Billed as a "powerful" listening circle by the Race Network, this wasn't some optional after-hours therapy sesh – it was squarely during work time, with remote access for maximum participation. Attendees were encouraged to reflect on the "emotional complexity of being South Asian and British," turning a government tax office into a impromptu colonialism confessional.

Critics didn't hold back, branding it pure "nonsense" that reeks of performative wokeness. And they're spot on. In an organisation already plagued by backlogs – think delayed refunds and creaking helplines – diverting staff to navel-gaze about national guilt isn't just tone-deaf; it's a slap in the face to every hardworking Brit footing the bill. HMRC, tasked with collecting £800 billion annually, somehow found bandwidth for this? It's the kind of bureaucratic bloat that makes you wonder if the real tax dodge is the civil service's grip on reality.

This wasn't a one-off either. Past events have veered into veganism advocacy and flexible working pep talks, all under the guise of "inclusion" networks. One can only imagine the productivity dip: hours lost to seminars that sound more like a bad TED Talk than essential public service. Small wonder public trust in HMRC is at rock bottom – when your tax collector prioritises identity politics over invoices, something's rotten in the Revenue.

Why This Ban on Civil Servant Network Events is Long Overdue – But Is It Enough?

Fast-forward to September 2025, and the powers-that-be have finally pulled the plug. New directives explicitly veto "nonsense" gatherings during office hours, ensuring that diversity drives, guilt circles, and vegan vigils stay out of the taxpayer-funded calendar. The Telegraph reports that future HMRC Race Network events have been canned in response, a direct fallout from the British guilt fiasco.

Hallelujah? Sort of. This ban is a welcome gut-punch to the civil service's DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) obsession, which has ballooned into a multi-million-pound industry of consultants, trainings, and endless committees. But let's not pop the champagne just yet. HMRC confirmed the seminar happened, yet it took public outrage – amplified by outlets like LBC and the Daily Mail – to force a rethink. Where was the oversight before staff were guilt-tripped on the clock?

And here's the kicker: These networks aren't vanishing; they're just shifting to lunch breaks or after hours. Fine, you say? Not if it means volunteers – often from underrepresented groups – shoulder the load outside paid time, turning "inclusion" into unpaid labour. HMRC's half-measure reeks of damage control, not genuine reform. Taxpayers deserve better than a band-aid on a bullet wound.

Broader Civil Service Wokeness: HMRC's Not Alone in the Madness

HMRC's saga is just the tip of the iceberg in a civil service drowning in ideological quicksand. From "decolonising" curricula in government departments to mandatory pronoun workshops, the UK's public sector has morphed into a petri dish for progressive experiments – all while services crumble. Remember the vegan days pushed in other agencies? Or the endless flexible working seminars that ignore frontline realities?

This isn't harmless fluff; it's corrosive. It alienates talent, erodes morale, and – crucially – costs a fortune. With civil service headcount swelling to over 500,000 and budgets ballooning, every hour on "Guilt of Being British" is a direct hit to efficiency. No wonder productivity lags: When your day job includes soul-searching about empire, who has time for actual work?

The backlash has been swift and savage, with social media ablaze – Reddit threads calling it "peak civil service idiocy" and X (formerly Twitter) users demanding heads roll. Politicians from across the aisle have piled on, questioning why public funds fuel such frivolity. It's a wake-up call: Time to audit these networks, cap their budgets, and refocus on core duties like, oh, collecting taxes without the therapy session.

Time for Real Accountability: End the Woke Civil Servant Circus Once and For All

HMRC's ban on network events during work hours is a step forward, but it's baby steps in a marathon of mismanagement. The Guilt of Being British seminar wasn't just embarrassing – it was emblematic of a civil service lost in its own echo chamber, prioritising feelings over fiscal responsibility. Taxpayers, who've endured years of this nonsense, now have a blueprint for demanding more: Scrutinise every "inclusion" initiative, measure its ROI (spoiler: it's often zero), and put productivity first.

If HMRC wants to rebuild trust, start by ditching the guilt trips and getting back to basics. No more seminars on British shame – unless they're about shaming the waste. Britain's public servants serve the public, not some abstract DEI deity. Let's hope this ban is the beginning of the end for civil service wokeness, not just a pause in the pandering.

What do you think – is HMRC's crackdown genuine reform or PR spin? Share your thoughts in the comments below. 

Tax does have to be taxing.



HMRC Is Shite (www.hmrcisshite.com), also available via the domain www.hmrconline.com, is brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"