I am currently (re)exploring some issues around the nature of the British “administrative elite” – which, for reasons I’ll explain in a later publication, I am restricting to mainly the Senior Civil Service (SCS) for the moment. Continue reading “The Changing (?) Sociology of the Senior Civil Service – what do you know?”
Category: Whitehall
Reforming the Senior Civil Service – what do you think?
The #GreatWestCoastRailShambles has raised again the issue of the competence, or otherwise, of the Senior Civil Service.
Ministers are blaming the mess purely on civil servants, whilst others are pointing to a flawed policy. Without a lot more information, it’s hard to know how much of each was involved. But it certainly gives even more ‘edge’ to current project to re-examine the relationship between Ministers and Mandarins commissioned by Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude. The contract was awarded to IPPR, with me participating in the project (see here). Continue reading “Reforming the Senior Civil Service – what do you think?”
It’s Not Best Practice, It’s Best Recovery that creates excellence
The inestimable Atul Gawande (author of The Checklist Manifesto) has done it again with a brilliant little column in the New Yorker.
Continue reading “It’s Not Best Practice, It’s Best Recovery that creates excellence”
Spending Review 2013 – politics trumps planning, again.
So, it appears fairly certain now that the Coalition Government is going to announce – sometime next year – Spending Review 2013. Continue reading “Spending Review 2013 – politics trumps planning, again.”
Civil Service – getting on or getting out? (Guardian discussion)
Here’s the summary of my contributions to yesterday’s discussion on the Guardian Public Leaders Network. Continue reading “Civil Service – getting on or getting out? (Guardian discussion)”
Hillsborough and Transparency: why I know something of how the relatives feel about not getting the truth (until now)
I understand something of the frustration and anger of the relatives of the Hillsborough victims because I had a similar experience – albeit on a much smaller scale. British officialdom has a cult of secrecy and cover-up that is still with us, even if is has gotten slightly better.
In 1982 my younger brother Gary, 21, was killed. He was beaten up and died of a heart attack. Officialdom made this horrible situation worse by acts of secrecy. Continue reading “Hillsborough and Transparency: why I know something of how the relatives feel about not getting the truth (until now)”
Playing the Game Like Adults: Coalition does not mean Coalescence.
It is quite likely we are moving, hesitatingly and perhaps not in a straight line, towards an era of coalition governments in the UK. Continue reading “Playing the Game Like Adults: Coalition does not mean Coalescence.”
Foreign Students: Not Welcome Here?
The Government’s decision to use an administrative sledgehammer to crack the nut of relatively minor possible abuses of Universities student visa’s is a disgrace. Continue reading “Foreign Students: Not Welcome Here?”
Targets? What targets? Change and Continuity in the performance regime in Whitehall
We were told, when the new Coalition Government came to be, that it would put an end to “New Labour targetry”. The use of targets for public sector performance had become a bête noir of both Conservatives and Liberal Democrats in Opposition and they apparently couldn’t wait to scrap the whole lot once they were in power.
And indeed they did immediately scrap the Public Service Agreements (30) and Departmental Strategic Objectives (95 for the Departments we have counted).
But for the past two decades I have had this annoying habit – I don’t believe Governments, especially about these sorts of things. So I have done what I usually do and gone and counted. And the answers are surprising, even to me. Continue reading “Targets? What targets? Change and Continuity in the performance regime in Whitehall”
Standards for Public Performance Reporting (White Paper) published
Today’s highly dubious announcement of supposed ‘efficiency savings’ by the Government reinforces the need for independent Standards for reporting performance and efficiency in the public sector. Today I’ve published a ‘White Paper’ calling for changes to achieve that. Continue reading “Standards for Public Performance Reporting (White Paper) published”
Colin Talbot - my blog 