Gosh I do hope you are on to something here. My biggest misery over the last thirteen years, and getting bigger every year, has been the sheer incompetence of our government, and the failures of civil service who are meant to be serving them. My father was a life long civil servant, and would be spinning in his grave. Of course the Osborne austerity programme hollowed out all the grey haired expertise, leaving cheap juniors to take on ludicrous levels of responsibility. I was on a national NHS board for five years and the waste of senior talent and experience, thrown out with every re-organisation, would make me weep. But I would really like to see a civil service trusted to get on with things by politicians who took advice, and who gave clear instructions which everyone stuck to. Its our last chance?
Another thing delivery needs - strategy. To set direction and context for 'all the work'. And that strategy needs all the usual things - to be realistic but stretching, to be communicated, to be understood, to inspire, to be agreed.
Yes quite right. It's telling that the Delivery Unit in No.10 during Blair's second term was complimented by a Strategy Unit, looking to the medium and long term. Policy Unit sat in between them.
The approach has driven deeper departmental behaviours for at least a decade. Forever Transforming and forgetting the foundations of good practice that are essential to delivery. So Transformation spins without traction. It’s hard to get promoted/sell policies/sell books if you focus on doing the basics right.
A great read & as a lifelong (almost) local government officer I think you make some good points. I can’t help thinking though that we also need a bit of vision, flair & above all leadership to complement all that competence.
When we introduced competence based recruitment in the 80s we got a lot of shiny new managers who were as dull as ditchwater
The last big surge of Civil Servants into government was during the war, Anderson, who ruled the Home Front, Wilson before he switched to politics and so on...
It's a sad reflection on the past few years that the prospect of dreary competence gives me literal goosebumps.
Very perceptive and well-argued. Good postscript to your excellent book “How Westminster works...and why it doesn’t” which I am also enjoying.
Ohmygod, razor political commentary, liberal profanity AND the Killing Joke? *dies*
I'm really living my best life here.
Great read, thanks Ian. I’d wager “bumbling dimwit” might be the nicest thing anyone’s said about Steve Barclay. Perhaps he’ll head his CV with it.
Gosh I do hope you are on to something here. My biggest misery over the last thirteen years, and getting bigger every year, has been the sheer incompetence of our government, and the failures of civil service who are meant to be serving them. My father was a life long civil servant, and would be spinning in his grave. Of course the Osborne austerity programme hollowed out all the grey haired expertise, leaving cheap juniors to take on ludicrous levels of responsibility. I was on a national NHS board for five years and the waste of senior talent and experience, thrown out with every re-organisation, would make me weep. But I would really like to see a civil service trusted to get on with things by politicians who took advice, and who gave clear instructions which everyone stuck to. Its our last chance?
Great writing - almost gives me hope!!
Another thing delivery needs - strategy. To set direction and context for 'all the work'. And that strategy needs all the usual things - to be realistic but stretching, to be communicated, to be understood, to inspire, to be agreed.
Yes quite right. It's telling that the Delivery Unit in No.10 during Blair's second term was complimented by a Strategy Unit, looking to the medium and long term. Policy Unit sat in between them.
This was *so* good Ian. Signed, an uber-level governance nerd (Jess, co-editor of Civil Service World)
Is that the sort of magazine they would show on Have I Got News For You?
Our recent Governments have also been relying more and more on ‘consultants’; expensive, unaccountable, and all with their own hidden agendas.
The approach has driven deeper departmental behaviours for at least a decade. Forever Transforming and forgetting the foundations of good practice that are essential to delivery. So Transformation spins without traction. It’s hard to get promoted/sell policies/sell books if you focus on doing the basics right.
An excellent read. The Killing Joke must surely have been at least partly influenced by this band and their frontman.
https://youtu.be/zETNFX-s6Q4?si=4ot4mRjA5lGsBItm
A great read & as a lifelong (almost) local government officer I think you make some good points. I can’t help thinking though that we also need a bit of vision, flair & above all leadership to complement all that competence.
When we introduced competence based recruitment in the 80s we got a lot of shiny new managers who were as dull as ditchwater
> Some are impressed by the appointment. She was highly accomplished when she served in Northern Ireland.
Served pints I presume you mean.
The last big surge of Civil Servants into government was during the war, Anderson, who ruled the Home Front, Wilson before he switched to politics and so on...