The Mind of the Minister

Tom Brown ’s excellent study of the relationship between civil servants and politicians draws upon extended interviews with senior ex-Ministers and ex-Civil servants And a great way to understand the near-catastrophic decline in trust occasioned by years of post-Brexit confusion, the erosion of standards and the merry-go-round of short-term Ministers. It tells us more about the dynamics of policy-making and decision-making (not the same thing!) than dozens of political autobiographies that naturally bias towards the authors. But it contains a puzzle which deserves further investigation.

Public or stakeholder consultation is not even mentioned. Not once! Even when one ex-Cabinet member notes that officials aren’t always fully up-to-speed with the latest developments. Either the views of stakeholders are routinely ignored – which is unlikely, or that the results of consultations are factored into official advice at lower levels of the policy-making process. Neither is good practice, and this book provides a great platform to explore some of these process issues further.

 

It leads me to look again at a lesser-known book by Peter Cardwell called The Secret Life of Special Advisers, published in 2020. Anyone who wishes to understand the way in which policy decisions are taken needs to read both these highly relevant books together. That’s how to figure out the way in which to exert influence and how to factor effective consultations into the mix.