The populist line is that Britain is ungovernable. The reality is that it is simply ungoverned and that’s why people think the UK is in a state of decay. I am the lowest of the low, someone who travels by bus and we know that only losers take the bus. Where I live in BatterseaContinue reading “My Life As A Traffic Management Problem”
Tag Archives: Government
Bad
It’s unusual to come across a truly bad new digital service these days. People now praise the online passport service for speed and ease of use, the same for Jobseeker’s, voter registration. Most online public services delivered since the establishment of the Government Digital Service are at least functional and many are best of breed.Continue reading “Bad”
Five quick things for the digital future
Ownership The core reason why programmes, projects and businesses fail is ownership. It’s unclear who owns delivery, the original “owner” left after 18 months, the “owner” has no control over staffing or budgets… So who owns a cross cutting programme in government? There is little point proposing new ways of delivering services if you haveContinue reading “Five quick things for the digital future”
Westminster Thinktank Scene – 12″ Dub Mix
This one goes out to all the junior ministers being reshuffled in and wondering just what the hell is going on. Here are a few common tropes you will see come up again and again in Westminster. “WTD – Will This Do?” Most commonly seen as a response to a minister making a commitment whichContinue reading “Westminster Thinktank Scene – 12″ Dub Mix”
Being Served
We were discussing public service delivery on Twitter earlier, as that monument to techbro hubris continues its rapid collapse into the sea, and the question was asked as to why the UK has “digitised” so many services in a way that they are an opaque online form or call centre where hope goes to dieContinue reading “Being Served”
Daisy Daisy
So the Tony Blair Institute have done another of their Marvel/DC team-ups this time on AI. I was not going to discuss it but on second glance it does have some interesting aspects. The report is good but suffers from many of the same issues that such reports always have: the belief that the UKContinue reading “Daisy Daisy”
All the numbers account for years
The power of paws, no sooner do I write about the lack of any national conversation about digital when we get the modestly titled “A New National Purpose” from the odd Marvel/DC team up of Tony Blair and William Hague. Martha Lane Fox has set out very well the Groundhog Day feelings of those ofContinue reading “All the numbers account for years”
Policymanship
Readers of the late great Stephen Potter’s works on Lifemanship and Gamesmanship may wonder if the same techniques can be applied in government. The answer is “Of course!” Here are a couple of examples of Policymanship in action. “Cutting grant fraud” Ministers are very keen to launch a big new business grants programme which willContinue reading “Policymanship”
Mr Caution
As I write, Dominic Cummings is telling a Select Committee about the utter disaster that has been the UK’s response to COVID. And everything he is saying sounds so so so familiar. Every failure in government has the same four root causes, the only difference with COVID is one of degree. Cause One: Ownership NobodyContinue reading “Mr Caution”
Figaro-Pravda
While some people watched Eurovision or walked the dog or had the first quiet pint in months Dominic Cummings spent the weekend writing a very, very long Twitter thread on the pandemic. Yes, it’s full of ludicrous wannabe techbro nonsense, if you are reduced to approvingly quoting Paul Graham then you really need to takeContinue reading “Figaro-Pravda”
Mark O'Neill 