The new middle management values processes over people. Developers are expected to log times daily against each task just like you see in a client-billable hours company. This shows the amount of trust middle management have on Devs and it discourages to work/improve on anything which is not handed down to people.
I feel that politics has started to creep in the office lately. People who flatter and smooth talk are preferred/promoted while other good people are bypassed
or made redundant. Devs are afraid to raise their opinion because of high redundancy in past.