Politics and policy making

When lobbyists start hiring Tories, then you know change is in the air. Right now managers of pressure groups, charities and all those who seek to influence public policy are desperately trying to get Conservative-minded policy wonks on their books. In meetings between groups there is frequently an assumption that David Cameron will win the next election and today’s opposition spokespeople will be the ministers of tomorrow.

This puts the Conservative front bench under a new set of pressures. In opposition it is all too easy to see serious policy making as a luxury which must be subverted under the daily pressure of the media battle. But heading into Government means policies must work for more people than just the editor of the Daily Mail. They must stack up against the Civil Service and NGOs.  

The Civil Service is a venerable institution, and in the UK we can rightly be proud of our mandarins. They work on areas of detail and implementation which leaves most completely cold. While they are politically independent, they obviously hold a collective view on the right solutions to problems. They operate at a level of detail which can undermine all but the most coherent policy proposal. Meanwhile, NGOs will increasingly look at the real consequences of policy announcements and not simply welcome policies that apply political pressure to the incumbent Government.

The Tories now, perhaps more than ever, need to ensure their plans are ready for implementation. They need to be able to walk into Government departments and convince the most senior civil servants that their policies will work. This means thinking through the implications and – of course the costs.

Politics is just getting harder for David Cameron.

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