We said goodbye to the Strategy Unit and saw a newly bolstered Office for Civil Society. Nick Clegg’s office is being revamped to recognise that both partners in coalition must be adequately supported. There has been a new intake of permanent secretaries and with the Business Plans and the transparency agenda now public, ministers and permanent secretaries are under no illusion that they will be monitored against these.
This month we expect the government to announce new non-executive directors and we will be publishing our advice on how to make a success of Boards. It’s a fast-moving environment in Whitehall.
The Coalition is learning that despite the pace of reform, the path is never smooth. As the Institute recommended, the Lords is insisting on checks and balances in the Public Bodies Bill to prevent abuse of ministerial power over judicial bodies. Soon we will publish our guide for arm’s length bodies to help manage the reforms successfully.
As part of our work on successful policy design, we have released a top ten of the most ‘successful’ policies over the past 30 years. The minimum wage, devolution and privatisation head the list. Our policy reunions have looked at the path to their success – and they were neither rapid nor smooth.
Even in Sweden, often cited for its success in welfare and monetary reform, the path was rocky. Fredrik Reinfeldt, the Swedish Prime Minister, gave a keynote speech here to remind us how tough being in government is. And to remind us that politics is never dull, David Laws, Rob Wilson and Anthony Seldon all launched their books at the IfG this month. Through these we are learning about our recent history while the lessons still count.
