I've stumbled across a small tale that brilliantly illustrates the importance of thinking before you answer a question.
Sir Oliver Franks was Ambassador to the United States in the late 1940s. One year, a Washington radio station asked various ambassadors what they would most like for Christmas. The French Ambassador responded that he would like to see peace throughout the world. The Russian Ambassador said he wanted to see working people of the world freed from imperialism. Franks' response... Read full post

It was announced yesterday that government’s Chief Information Officer (CIO), Joe Harley, is leaving at the end of the financial year. This is something of a shock, because Harley has been heralded as the man who will transform government’s IT fortunes. It’s also quite concerning because his own department, DWP, has a very large IT system that needs to be in place by 2013, and Harley will leave before the system is fully developed.People come and go, but Harley’s... Read full post

Speaking in an interview with the Sunday Times last weekend, chief secretary to the Treasury, Danny Alexander said:
"I think government benefits from having all sorts of backgrounds and, equally, from different parts of the country. There's a danger that civil servants in Whitehall are very London-based people who never go beyond the M25, so sometimes they need to be reminded that there's a whole country out there. And now, more than ever, I realise how immesely privileged I am to have grown... Read full post

Spot the difference:
David Cameron speaking to the Daily Telegraph, August 2011: “We haven’t talked the language of zero tolerance enough but the message is getting through.”
Bill Bratton, David Cameron's new policing adviser, speaking to the Home Affairs Select Committee, November 2010: "First, I would not advocate attempting zero tolerance anywhere in any city, in any country in the world. It’s not achievable. Zero tolerance, which is often times attributed to me and... Read full post

What’s going on with the Open Public Services White Paper? The bill, which is supposed to set out the government’s vision for the future delivery of public services, has been delayed once again. It was initially due in January but is now due in July, according to the latest Cabinet Office business plan. The trouble is, as one very senior source whispered to me recently, the politicians “just can’t agree on anything.”
As I understand it, there are three camps in... Read full post

 
Apparently, Iain Duncan Smith is a visionary! Rise up for the quiet man, and stamp and hoot and applaud! Let his silence be a contrast to the universal acclaim he's greeted with, for he has … outlined something that sounds rather simple but not yet joined the dots?Does anyone fully understand the coalition's plans for welfare reform? Why did George Osborne say they would save £4bn, IDS say he would require £3.5bn extra funding, and yet now the papers are reporting... Read full post

Apparently there wasn't a Pizza Express in Stratford until a couple of years ago. It was no great loss but given that there are approximately 4.7 on every high street*, it's a little odd that there wasn't one in such a busy conurbation. Why not? Well, who in that area could afford to go?
 
It's thanks to the Olympics and its aim to build a legacy in East London that there is one now. But while two meals for ten tenner is a start, it's hardly worth £9.3bn.
 
I bring this up... Read full post

Yes the coalition partners are working well together (or thick as thieves depending on your outlook), but that won’t always be the case. It is highly likely, bordering on inevitable, that at some point the coalition will face a tricky issue which could split the government if not handled correctly.
 

What should civil servants do? Many might stay calm, quiet, and out of the way – leaving the political issues to the ministers.
 

At a talk this morning, Sir John... Read full post

The Council of Civil Service Unions (CCSU) is seeking to cobble together a united front to present to the government as it campaigns against cuts in civil service redundancy pay and also the threat of cuts to public sector pensions.

 
It would have not been a surprise that the government wants to reduce civil service redundancy pay by primary legislation after heavy coverage in Monday’s newspapers. But to see the terms of compulsory redundancy pay slashed from two years (agreed... Read full post