Feckless
Definition: careless, irresponsible, ineffective
“Feck” means “effect” in Scottish. It’s loosely related to “effect.”
So, to be “feck-less” is to be without effect.
Why I Looked It Up
I’ve seen it for years, and sort of knew what it was – I knew it wasn’t a compliment and generally meant that someone was incompetent.
In the novel eurostorm:
“All the while feckless governments are powerless to so anything about it…”
Postscript
Added on
In an article about politics:
Still, he said he was proud of the work of the committee, which over many decades has earned a reputation for fecklessness and secrecy.