A Busted Flush in the House of Cards
Our system of government is an old banger of a car, and it will never produce what people want. We need a … View more +
Three Reasons Our Railways Don’t Work (and How To Fix Them)
How on earth could one of the world’s most advanced cities manage to disrupt its essential transport infrastructure, the lives of so … View more +
If Medics Treated Patients As Governments Treat the NHS, We’d All Be Dead
Another Secretary of State pushes determinedly, blindly on with NHS reforms, deluded in the notion that they alone can solve the great … View more +
Has Britain (or indeed Ireland) got Government Talent?
Why can’t UK government do a Macron? That’s very simple to answer: because of our Constitution, such as it is. It ensures … View more +
Unity Through Understanding, Or the Alternative To Shouting at Each Other
This week I've been trying to understand why people hold views that are seemingly self-defeating. The two obvious examples are supporters of … View more +
Do the Storm Clouds of Brexit Hold a Silver Lining?
If only all those who have issues with the system – Nicola Sturgeon, Nigel Farage, Jeremy Corbyn, and the Brexiteers, as well … View more +
Stand & Deliver: A Design For Successful Government
If you are ever angered by the standard of government we endure, you are not alone. A key issue for democratic politics, … View more +
Sir Ivan Rogers’ exit proves, once again, that the Civil Service serves its own interests, not Britain’s
Foreign Office civil servants are an odd lot. They even have an eccentric way of speaking: understated, circumlocutory, a code to be … View more +
As well as being a democratic outrage, First Past the Post also has additional unseen consequences
The case against First Past The Post is well-established. But how many people are aware of its costs in wasted public expenditure, … View more +
The Dead Generalist
This pamphlet argues that the time for fundamental reform of the civil servcie has come, and that it should be treated by … View more +
Government Matters – Part 1
The new relationship between government and people requires much more than a change in conversational tone. Expectations of rising competence means a … View more +
Reducing reoffending – an offender-centric business model
Published by: Smith Institute, from Advancing Opportunity: Routes In and Out of Criminal Justice Summary: This paper describes how an “offender-centric” business … View more +
Is The Civil Service Reformable?
Finally, some Westminster politicians have concluded that real reform of the Civil Service will not be realized through party politics. A bi-partisan … View more +
Who Are You?
Who is the Labour Party? What is it here for? Politics is no longer what is was, when labour was formed. It's … View more +
Organisation review of new labour
Summary: The case for a fresh organisational review of New Labour in government … View more +
The Case for Social Investment Bankers
Summary: Why are public services so hard to change? Why do too many of them continue to provide mediocre or, even, next … View more +
Conditional sense
Published by: Progress Magazine Summary: Based on research for the Social Market Foundation of conditional approaches in several countries, this article summarises its … View more +
Risky business: Tough action must be taken against rogue bankers who have for too long evaded responsibility for their actions
Published by: ‘Progress’ December 8, 2009 Summary: The weakest link in modern capitalism is that the interest of the individual top managers is … View more +
The right cuts can boost services: A step-by step guide to minimising the damage that will be caused by the coming decline in public expenditure
Summary: History has much to teach us about public sector cuts. The Thatcher administration adopted largely blunt instrument cutting, which resulted in … View more +
A Constitution for Climate Chaos
Summary: A constitution for climate chaos would give greater weight to the long term than the short; would provide for representation of … View more +
Contented families make marvellous economics
Published / Commissioned by (whichever is appropriate): Summary: Happy families are tax positive. Unhappy families are tax negative. The state of the … View more +