Recent British political history is marred by a procession of failed projects that have brought into question the competence of the UK’s administrators. Far from producing “governments of all the talents”, as Gladstone once boasted that he had, British cabinets err strikingly often.
From a partial privatisation of the London Underground, which cost taxpayers somewhere between £20 billion (Dh120.66bn) and £30bn, but achieved only cosmetic improvements to the transport network, to the Millennium Dome, an oversized exhibition centre that haemorrhaged money while serving no clear purpose, British ministers from all parties have demonstrated a penchant for huge, costly mistakes.
That is the argument of Professor Anthony King and Sir Ivor Crewe in their recent book The Blunders of Our Governments.
They offer a sharp, incisive diagnosis of the causes of the UK government’s errors.
British politicians are frequently isolated from their citizens, which leads them to impose their limited, prejudicial views of the world on policies, Crewe and King claim; they reinforce each others’ false beliefs; they rush initiatives out to please the press; and they fail to think through exactly how an idea would work in practice. Weak central coordination of the various cabinet fiefdoms, and a parliament insufficiently able to scrutinise legislation and ask difficult questions, each prevent departments’ work from receiving proper attention.
Activist ministers, all of whom are keen to make an impact, but who are almost entirely lacking relevant technical knowledge, and who invariably have fled the scene long before fingers start to be pointed, are often those responsible. Fear the bright, aloof minister with the revolutionary new idea, King and Crewe warn: politics rewards slow thinking.
Although the context is British, the morals are relevant for anyone interested in policy or management. Humans get things wrong, which should cause politicians and managers to pause. And institutions are seldom unimprovable: leaders should identify organisational obstacles to good outcomes, and strive to remove them. This book is an invaluable manual for policymakers and managers the world over.
abouyamourn@thenational.ae