I was in Edinburgh today, speaking at the launch of the New Local Democracy for Scotland Declaration.Building a Local Scotland is a group of academics, trade unionists, former council leaders, and journalists who have launched a campaign to tackle the …Read more…
Devolution and the quango state
This week is the 25th anniversary of the first elections to the Scottish Parliament. Commentary typically focuses on how the Parliament has performed and how its procedures can be reformed. While I agree with many of the criticisms, the Scott…Read more…
Public service reform is not a quick fix in a crisis
The forthcoming Autumn Statement and Scottish Government Budget has inspired another round of calls for public service reform. Primarily wishful thinking as a substitute for public spending cuts, but the principle has merit.The Chancellor appears…Read more…
Christie Commission – Ten Years On.
Next week is the tenth anniversary of the report of the Commission on the Future Delivery of Public Services, known as the Christie Commission. I spent six months working as an expert advisor to the…Read more…
Building Stronger Communities
The COVID-19 Pandemic has highlighted the importance of strong communities, supporting and looking out for each other. However, strong communities do not happen by accident; they need to be nurtured…Read more…
The case for Universal Basic Services
If the current crisis teaches us anything, it has to be the importance of a genuine safety net for everyone in our society and the weakness of the global economic system. COVID-19 has brutally…Read more…
Plunder of the Commons
Public wealth takes precedence over private riches. This is a policy prescription from what became known as the Lauderdale paradox. The Earl of Lauderdale in 1804 argued that there was an inverse…Read more…
The Common Good
Austerity has undermined many of the local institutions that bind our communities together. Cuts to our libraries, community learning, youth work, day centres and grants to voluntary organisations…Read more…
Democracy matters – The Local Governance Review
Modern Scotland needs a major devolution of power, placing responsibilities and resources with citizens and communities. This means strengthening democracy through the ballot box and by giving people…Read more…
Municipal socialism for modern Scotland
Municipal socialism is the basis for delivering a wide range of local services in local government across the world.
Today, I was in the Scottish Parliament introducing my latest paper for the Jimmy…Read more…
Why ownership matters
Ownership gets too little attention in industrial policy and in public service reform. Richard Leonard, in his first Leader’s speech at the Scottish Labour Party conference, put some clear red water…Read more…
Improving the governance of public bodies
Scotland’s public services are administered by some 200 public bodies. Most of these are run by boards that make the key decisions on the majority of public spending in our country. This means we…Read more…
Regulation is not ‘Red Tape’
If the Grenfell tragedy teaches us anything, it must be that regulation is not ‘Red Tape’, it is an essential safeguard for a civilised society. Scotland has escaped some of the worst examples of…Read more…
Education reform – getting the balance right
The Scottish Government’s education reforms are an attempt to balance their centralising tendencies with local democracy and give headteachers’ greater responsibility for their schools, without…Read more…
Scotland is NOT our local
Three days to go to polling day for the council elections – just in case anyone noticed. Even before the general election was dumped on us, national issues dominated the debate.
If the parties want…Read more…
A new approach to public service reform
Since the publication of the Christie Commission report five years ago, public sector reform has been largely piecemeal and driven by austerity cuts. The debate can also drift into a contest between…Read more…
Plenty of vision in government plan, but delivery is more challenging
The Scottish Government’s plan for the coming year is light on legislation, but there is more meat in the administrative sections, if it can move from process into action.
I outlined the key elements…Read more…
Christie Commission – Five Years On
In the flurry of post-Brexit excitement it was welcome to hear the First Minister remind Parliament that it must not distract from the business of government. Indeed the Deputy First Minister started…Read more…
Building better public services
Public service reform should be built from the bottom up through local democracy rather than centralisation. However, no reforms will be effective unless they are fully funded.
I have written a…Read more…
Public servants, don’t hold your breath on that pay rise with Nick Clegg
A last minute Liberal Democrat pledge to end pay cuts for public sector workers? It’s as transparent as it is pathetic
Do public servants need a pay rise? Yes. Do they trust Nick Clegg and the…Read more…