Jobs for the boys (and girls)

Scottish Executive Ministers make life more difficult for themselves. What did they think would happen when this saga became public? Political stupidity. From The Herald (here):

"Jack McConnell's former adviser has been given a consultancy deal with the Scottish Executive just months after quitting her job.
Jeane Freeman, who resigned as the first minister's most trusted political aide last year, has been hired by Peter Peacock, the education minister, to work on plans for the under-fives. She will be paid a total of around £5000 for 10 days' work, at a rate of about £500 a day, over a period of several months.
The job was awarded directly to Ms Freeman's new consultancy firm, Freeman Associates, without a tendering exercise. The threshold for such an exercise is £10,000. The executive's rules say such non-competitive deals must be done with "great care" and be "fully defensible". The executive last night said Mr Peacock had decided Ms Freeman should be approached because her abilities were ideal for the job specification he helped draw up.
"There was no suggestion of cronyism," a spokeswoman said."

Well, there is now...