Yday, Starmer rightly took aim at *Whitehall’s* difficulties gripping his agenda - and I’ll explain why.
But he was wrong to say ‘too many people are comfortable in the tepid bath of managed decline.’
Having interviewed 50 civil servants, I can tell you that’s not true.
But he was wrong to say ‘too many people are comfortable in the tepid bath of managed decline.’
Having interviewed 50 civil servants, I can tell you that’s not true.
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They want nothing more than to be more creative, efficient and impactful.
https://reform.uk/publications/civil-unrest-a-portrait-of-the-civil-service-through-brexit-the-pandemic-and-political-turbulence/
But that was something they did not find at all comforting, but in fact the desire for impact or innovation was driving many officials to other lines of work.
Civil servants are not slow, risk-averse or inexpert because they choose to be.
They are slowed down by 5 layers of people signing off their work. They are risk-averse because mistakes mean headlines and ministers don’t always back them to innovate.
Now is that a matter of personal responsibility or system failure, you tell me?
Taking aim at wrong target obviously doesn’t help things.
But more than this, public criticism will compound what is already wrong with the CS. We know this because that’s exactly what happened under Johnson and Truss.
Changing jobs/roles every 18 months (which GenZ thinks faaar too long anyway) means never being confronted with, & thus having to resolve, your own mistakes
Only entrepreneurs & SME bosses face that reality
https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/politics/senior-civil-servant-sought-to-block-pacer-replacements-1823601