How to Defeat the Westminster ‘Blob’
Why is the British state so dysfunctional? James Price was a special adviser at the most senior levels of government, and in this extract from the Sceptic podcast, he explains what’s wrong with Whitehall – and what can be done about it.
Donate to the Daily Sceptic to access our premium content. Follow Laurie on X. Follow James on X. Subscribe to the Daily Sceptic YouTube Channel here. Produced by Richard Eldred. Filmed at the Westminster Podcast Studio.
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Sorry don’t have time to listen, but while not easy I am sure if you sack enough people and employ others you can get things done. The bigger problem is that rolling back the vast state will take much longer than one term in office. While a lot of what the state is involved in it shouldn’t be, it will take a while for private providers and a decent market to emerge organically. What you probably don’t want to do is privatise bits of the state that have a monopoly or something similar. I think this is a big reason why things are only going to go in one direction.
Monopolistic mega sized state entities are a disaster inside or outside the public sector.
The key, as you will know, is calibre of management.
But there is another key: size.
The best management can only cope with organisations of a certain size.
There is no need to defeat the blob. Simply bring in a successful team of retired civil servants from one of Europe’s most successful public administrations (maybe Denmark). Have them produce a blueprint national structure focused on delegated authority then start from scratch building new shadow ministries, freezing recruitment, making redundancies (at senior level), in the old ministries.
Maybe build the new ministries in a quite different geographic location.
Do the same for the health service and education. Schools, hospitals are classic cases in point. They should, as far as is possible, be running themselves, the Michaela school but one example of how delegated authority to an organisation of manageable size really works. The British Army Regimental system is another. Both examples are within the public sector.
All well and good but that sounds longer than a five year term. I just don’t see this happening – we’re too addicted to the Nanny State.
I agree small is beautiful.
I disagree that “delegated authority” can work, at least not given our current political system and culture. Eventually the state will not be able to resist the temptation to meddle beyond what should be their remit.
‘“Our frontline people don’t work for us; we work for them. Our job is to support them in their job.”
James F. Nordstrom, former co-chairman of Nordstrom Inc.
That is the culture that our public servants should aspire to…..but they do not……
That is why we need a revolution in government.
There is scome scope for leadership here, but really the revolution has to come in people’s attitudes. The only UK politician I have heard speak convincingly in this regard is Rupert Lowe, now in the wilderness.
The President of Argentina targets the government departments that have to go.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUYPNsTpO4Y
Yes he seems like a good chap but remember that Argentina has a Federal structure like the US so the individual states also do stuff – easier to shut down stuff the Feds do because it’s just superfluous. He’s about the only openly minarchist leader I am aware of.
What to do about it?
That will do for a start.
You’d get my vote but I think it would be hard to do that in a single 5 year term without short term pain which would lose you the next election. I wish people could see this was a better way. Maybe one day.
Nothing can happen unless the entire Blair legacy and employment laws are repealed. The country is like some unlucky sea creature enmeshed in an impenetrable cat’s cradle of laws, regulations and attitudes. It is gasping for breath in its final bid to avoid drowning.