Whatever Happened to my Faststream Cohort?
Seventeen years ago I joined the Civil Service Fast Stream, in what was then the Department of Trade and Industry(1). I was part of a cohort of 15 of us…
Tag: Civil Service
Five Elephants; or, Thoughts on Civil Service Impartiality
This post began life as a thread on Twitter, but deserves its own post. Last month the Institute for Government published a thoughtful report on the value of an impartial…
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Answers to Questions
Last week I invited people to 'Ask me Anything' and got some great questions in response, from 'If you lived in America, where would you stand politically?' to 'If you…
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Thoughts on Sue Gray
"When former Cabinet Secretaries become peers they traditionally join the cross-benches, rather than any party. For a senior figure such as Sue Gray to move straight to such a political…
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From the Archives
I've added an Archive page to the blog. If you like what you read here, you can help by sharing what I write (I rely on word of mouth for…
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Influencing Higher Education Policy
A new book, Influencing Higher Education Policy: A Professional Guide to Making an Impact goes on sale today. Edited by the superb duo Debbie Mcvittie (Editor of Wonkhe) and Ant…
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Twelve posts from my first year of blogging
A year after this blog (re)started, I thought I'd share a dozen of my favourite posts. A mixture of those that were most read and most commented on at the…
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Wonkhe: What happens to your consultation responses?
In my latest piece on Wonkhe, I shed some light on how the government goes about processing responses to a consultation. Read the full article by following the link below.…
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On Leaving the Civil Service
Almost a year ago today I formally left the civil service. Handing in my notice was one of the hardest things I've voluntarily done. I'd joined the civil service immediately…
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Three Ways to Improve Referenda
Whilst it's right that Vote Leave are being fined, it's absurd to suggest that this renders the result invalid. That being said, this - and other events before, during and…