Five policies to fix the political class
The main political parties have all been jostling to respond to the ‘cost of living crisis’. But they’ve all failed to respond to the underlying issue - that in the eyes of voters, the political class lives on another planet. Here are five proposals that might help.
The political class: If the Government’s approach to policymaking seems deliberately bad, that’s because it is
A new book on government blunders highlights how the ‘professionalised’ political class increasingly lacks the practical experience required for wise decision-making. Will they listen to its advice?
Guerilla Voice: If consultation isn’t working, where’s the alternative?
The Government no longer seems to believe in consultation. Fine - but where’s the alternative? One year on from the Government’s proposal that ‘open policymaking’ should become the default, how much light is being let in on policy?
Accountability and responsiveness in the Senior Civil Service: a response
Summary My thoughts on the IPPR’s report It feels like I’ve got blogposts coming out of my ears at the moment. It’s that time of year where lots of organisations get their publications out before they head off for the summer. The IPPR’s report is here. Irrespective of its recommendations, this is an interesting report […]
Why a statutory register of lobbyists alone won’t solve the problem
Summary Further thoughts following the Sunday Times’ sting on Tim Yeo MP – looking at which lobbyists might not be covered by such a register Another weekend, another lobbying sting about what a politician might or might not do. This post follows on from my previous post about lobbying on how social media can be used to […]
Whatever happened to open government and open policy? A scorecard
After being elected Prime Minister in 2010 David Cameron committed the UK to having “the most open and transparent government in the world.” Here’s a brief - inevitably partial and contestable - ‘scorecard’ on the Government’s progress.
The political class: senior civil servants
In the fourth of our posts on the political class we investigate senior civil servants. This is part of series examining the political class – who they are, what their background and experience is, and what qualifies them to shape and inform public policy.
Whatever happened to open policy?
The Government’s civil service reform plan published last year promised to “make open policymaking the default”, however progress since has been limited. Implementing open policy will require new methods for engagement, but also ways of requiring that policymakers develop policy openly. Is the Government wrangling with implementation - or are its intentions waning?
Guerilla Voice: 10 ways to make bad policy
Ministers receive plenty of advice about how to make good policy. But what about those who want to make their name with a costly cock-up? Here’s some helpful advice.
Guerilla Voice: Putting practitioners front and centre of the evidence agenda
Imagine if it was suggested that improving services and policy didn’t need to involve frontline practitioners. However odd, this is pretty much how the Government’s evidence agenda has been presented.
Guerilla Voice: We need a People’s Budget
“Why then can’t we establish a ‘People’s Budget’ process - one that develops Budget policy in the open, in parallel to the (somewhat necessarily) closed decision-making process in the Treasury?” In contrast to the idea of open policy, the most important thing that government does - setting tax and spend policy - is strictly a closed affair. It’s time this changed.
Guerilla Voice: Enemies of experience
The idea of public services harnessing talent and experience from other fields seems unarguable, especially in a an era of ‘open policy’ - so why is the Government’s approach generating such antagonism, and why does it risk being self-defeating? This week’s controversy over direct entry into the police service risks the Government appearing dismissive of the talent that already exists in our public services.
Guerilla Voice: Charities need to find ways to speak out
This week, the report of an independent inquiry suggested that charities are increasingly afraid to challenge public policy because of fears of retribution from government, especially if they are reliant on public contracts. At the same time, the Government proclaims its commitment to ‘open policymaking.’ If we are to have better policy, it’s vital that […]
Frontline voices: Laura McInerney - The Connected Society
“Imagine the wealth of information these online conversations would give to policymakers otherwise locked in their ivory towers and desperate to get the input of workers who might make their policies actually work.” Laura McInerney reflects on the possibility of professionals helping to inform better policy and where this is already starting to happen.
Will the Government rethink its approach to consultation?
“Consultation might not be sexy at the best of times, and has certainly been much maligned, but this debate matters for a (hopefully) functioning democracy.” Michael Harris argues that the Government’s new consultation principles should be developed and drafted publicly in the spirit of open policymaking.
Rehabilitating politicians
I am genuinely concerned about the widening gulf between the public and politicians…and the level of sheer contempt for our representatives. I understand why and how this has happened and all parties and participants are to blame for continuing to ‘play the game’ how it is has always been played for fear of losing what […]
The doctor is out…
I have been following @openpolicy with interest. Probably because I have worked in policy (in the voluntary sector for 15 years) and I am not put off by the title. Could ‘real’ people be interested in the blog posts? I am not sure they would be. Unless we involve ‘real people’ however, we are going […]
Plain speaking
The project led by the Democratic Society on open policy making has been focusing on how to improve the mechanisms we use for consultation. But if we are going to involve and engage more people, we also need to change the words we use to talk about policy. Plain English is mandatory on the new GOV.UK website. The Government Digital Service […]
The Government is paying the price for its lack of openness on the NHS
The NHS is facing significant financial pressure as a result of austerity with smaller increases in spending, which are not keeping pace with demand. This has meant that the NHS has to find £20 billion in efficiency savings by 2015. At the same time the health service is facing one of its biggest upheavals ever, […]
Michael Gove’s approach to education reform is the opposite of open policymaking
Education Secretary Michael Gove has unveiled “rigorous selection” tests for trainee teachers in a move he claims will improve the status of the profession and raise standards in the classroom. It’s a pity his own approach to policymaking doesn’t live up to the same standards he’s asking of teachers.