> The £600 a day is as long as you need it and can be stopped when you don't.

Sure. Because the government only needs a finite amount of software, and once it's written its more efficient to drop the people who wrote it.

> a guaranteed job for life

so the person will have to deal with all of their shit if they wrote crappy stuff. Obviously not the incentives we want.

> and gold plated pension.

because who wants people to be able to actually retire? Isn't it better to keep them working as greeters at Walmart?