Category Archives: Public Services

Too long in the tooth – the hard conversation about ageism

Today saw the release of a report from the Department of Work and Pensions revealing that ageism, the stereotypical judgement  based on age, was rife within our societal structures and embedded within our personal perceptions.  According to the report ‘old … Continue reading

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Sir Gus is right on taking risks – but it will take more than words to change Whitehall culture

Public service culture is becoming an important area of discussion, including on this website. Yesterday, writing in the Daily Telegraph, the outgoing Cabinet Secretary Sir Gus O’Donnell said: “There is of course some cultural inertia to overcome…we must be more … Continue reading

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Successful change needs radical leadership which isn’t afraid to make mistakes

As Tim Harford and others observe, ultimate success in public policy often starts with a failure. And yet as Fraser Nelson observed in the Telegraph on Friday, Britain’s political culture obstructs and obscures successful experiments. The conservative institutions that orchestrate our public services … Continue reading

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Michael Gove on Conservatism and Education

Last week Michael Gove was invited by the Conservative Christian Fellowship to give the annual Wilburforce Address. The whole speech is worth reading if you want to understand how a Secretary of State fuses morals, beliefs and realities into what … Continue reading

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It’s time for public sector managers to let go of services

This week, Francis Maude launched the Mutuals Support Programme which will help public sector staff to form independent mutuals or social enterprises. This is (long-awaited) good news but the programme has been launched into very rough seas. The Autumn Statement … Continue reading

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