On the subject of office layouts, perhaps Burnham should bypass the Government Art Collection and request Kenny Hunter’s red fibreglass bust of Jimmy Reid in the collections of National Galleries of Scotland. Or maybe not.
Interesting read, as always. On a human level it’s obviously disappointing to be sacked or passed over for promotion, but shit happens (and frequently happens to people in workplaces outside politics too!). Labour has a huge majority (yes, it’s wide but shallow) and there are only so many cabinet posts. Same for *whichever* party is in government.
Thanks. Reforming the machinery of government as a tool to improve outcomes clearly seems to be a big part of Burnhamism. From what you were saying the new Office for the PM and Cabinet, and Number 10 North (and the desk plan in Downing Street) are all part of a coordinated attempt to rip out the dusty old levers of power that Starmer had to use and upgrade to shiny levers2.0.
This has also been on the mind of Reform - I’m not sure what else Danny Krueger has done in the last 12 months.
For me the interesting question is where are the Conservatives on this? Obviously, it was a big deal for a few months while Cummings was there. But I don’t remember it ever really featured on their agenda since. Is this just natural conservative values (aka if it ain’t broke don’t fix it), are they thinking about it - but quietly without telling anyone - big reveal to come, or maybe it’s just not interesting or relevant to them.
On the subject of office layouts, perhaps Burnham should bypass the Government Art Collection and request Kenny Hunter’s red fibreglass bust of Jimmy Reid in the collections of National Galleries of Scotland. Or maybe not.
Interesting note, cheers Patrick!
Great piece, Patrick
Really enjoyed - concise, measured, interesting
Interesting read, as always. On a human level it’s obviously disappointing to be sacked or passed over for promotion, but shit happens (and frequently happens to people in workplaces outside politics too!). Labour has a huge majority (yes, it’s wide but shallow) and there are only so many cabinet posts. Same for *whichever* party is in government.
We know that constituency work is increasing, so there’s more than enough for them to be getting stuck into: https://www.politicshome.com/news/article/mp-casework-alice-lilly
I hope they can come together now, and remind themselves why they went into politics and rise above it.
Thanks. Reforming the machinery of government as a tool to improve outcomes clearly seems to be a big part of Burnhamism. From what you were saying the new Office for the PM and Cabinet, and Number 10 North (and the desk plan in Downing Street) are all part of a coordinated attempt to rip out the dusty old levers of power that Starmer had to use and upgrade to shiny levers2.0.
This has also been on the mind of Reform - I’m not sure what else Danny Krueger has done in the last 12 months.
For me the interesting question is where are the Conservatives on this? Obviously, it was a big deal for a few months while Cummings was there. But I don’t remember it ever really featured on their agenda since. Is this just natural conservative values (aka if it ain’t broke don’t fix it), are they thinking about it - but quietly without telling anyone - big reveal to come, or maybe it’s just not interesting or relevant to them.