The
trouble is that the academics and journalists who produce this literature
are outsiders – so it is difficult for them to give a real sense of what scope
for manoeuvre senior policy-makers realistically have. Political Memoirs should help us here but never do since they are
either self-congratulatory or defensive – with the Diaries of people such as Chris
Mullen, Alan Clark and Tony Benn being exceptional simple because they were
outside the magic circle of real power.
Two
rare and brave attempts by politicians to pull aside the curtain of power in a
systematic and objective way are How
to be an MP; by Paul Flynn and How
to be a Minister – a 21st Century Guide; by John Hutton
Various
problems make it exceedingly rare for British senior civil servants to publish
memoirs.
This leaves the
important category of consultants and
think-tankers to turn to – with Michael
Barber’s How
to Run a Government so that Citizens Benefit and Taxpayers don’t go Crazy (2015)
and Ed Straw’s Stand
and Deliver – a design for successful government (2014) being recent
examples. John Seddon’s Systems
Thinking in the Public Sector – the failure of the Reform regime and a
manifesto for a better way (2008) and Chris Foster’s British
Government in Crisis (2005) are older examples.
Barber’s should
be the most interesting since he has made such a name for himself with his “deliverology”
but I find it difficult to take him seriously when he doesn’t include any of
the other authors in his index.
Straw’s is an angry book which fails even to include an index – let alone mention of Seddon’s or Foster’s books.
The Unspoken Constitution was a short spoof published in 2009 by Democratic Audit which probably tells us as much about the British system of power as anyone….
And, however, entertaining “In the Thick of it”; and the British and American versions of “House of Cards”, they hardly give a rounded account of policy-making in the 2 countries.
Straw’s is an angry book which fails even to include an index – let alone mention of Seddon’s or Foster’s books.
The Unspoken Constitution was a short spoof published in 2009 by Democratic Audit which probably tells us as much about the British system of power as anyone….
And, however, entertaining “In the Thick of it”; and the British and American versions of “House of Cards”, they hardly give a rounded account of policy-making in the 2 countries.
Curiously,
those wanting to get a real understanding of how the British (and other) system of government
might actually be changed for the better are best advised to go to the theories
of change which have been developed in the literature on international
development eg the World Bank’s 2008 Governance Reform under
Real-World Conditions – citizens, stakeholders and Voice; and its People, Politics and Change - building communications strategy for governance reform (2011) - in particular the fold-out diagram at the very end of the 2008 book
The diagram gives the lessons of New Labour's efforts to reform public services - showing what it identified as the key forces of change. Consultants leached off the process - as you can see here
The diagram gives the lessons of New Labour's efforts to reform public services - showing what it identified as the key forces of change. Consultants leached off the process - as you can see here
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