We all know the rationalisation: I just bought desirable item X for £50 less than the marked price so I’ve “saved” £50 I can spend on something else. Of course, the £50 isn’t real – it’s just a notional saving and my claim when I get home that “I’ve just saved fifty quid” is greeted with understandable scepticism. Continue reading “Shopaholics Economics” →

Following on from my ‘organisational amnesia’ post comes the National Audit Office’s report on reorganisations in British central Government. I have reproduced their ‘blurb’ below but since 1980 25 new government departments have been created, of which 13 no longer exist, compared to only 2 new ones in US federal government over the same period. I have written many times before about this organisational incontinence so I won’t repeat myself, but urge you to read the NAO report. Continue reading “Organisational Incontinence – NAO confirms it” →

A few years ago the  big fad was “organisational learning”. It still continues, but the British government seems intent on inventing a new concept: organisational amnesia. Here’s a small, but highly symbolic, example. Continue reading “Organisational Amnesia: the ill-fated Government Annual Reports” →

The Conservatives shadow Health Secretary, Andrew Lansley, was yesterday widely quoted as codemning the governments health “targets” regime for forcing staff to “focus on ticking boxes not patients.” (FT 8th Mar 10). Continue reading “[ ] Check This” →

Last week’s story in the UK that the Conservatives were now in favour of setting up “workers co-ops” to run public services (really!) was the culmination of a fascinating trend over recent years towards policy-makers favouring the ‘empowerment’ of public sector professionals. Both the New Labour Government and Tory opposition have been touting ideas about removing the terror of targets and central controls and freeing frontline workers to innovative and improve public services. Continue reading “Whatever Happened to “Producer Capture”?” →

The great British sense of humour lives on. Some genius in Conservative central office clearly didn’t recognise the satire potential of the Tories recent poster campaign. MyDavidCameron.com was quickly set up and has spawned hundreds of often hilarious spoofs on the original. As you can see, being off sick has given me far too much time to indulge myself…. so here’s my feeble contribution (you can also find it on the mydavidcameron website and vote for it..)

I’m sure it’ll be Labour’s turn next…. (in the interest of political balance).

‘Whitehall Watch’ might be a bit sporadic over the next month or so – two weeks ago I had a heart attack. I’m recovering well and the prognosis is good, but it’ll be a while before I’m back to full functioning.

Meanwhile, “never waste a good crisis” as someone said (it’s alright, I know who) – so I thought I’d record my experience – for good and ill – of the wonderful British NHS.

And it really is wonderful, imperfect, but wonderful. Continue reading “Sojourn at the Heartbreak Hotel” →