The Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT)'s CEO, Simon Posner, gives his insider view into last week's Cabinet reshuffle
I have a great idea to help you run your company more efficiently over the coming months. It involves looking at the roles of your senior staff and swapping some of them around for no apparent reason.
It is particularly important that those who have really got to grips with their job and know the subject matter inside out get moved immediately and are replaced by someone who has no interest in or aptitude for it.
When making these appointments it is important that you take into account who you like, who you don’t like, who has upset you recently, who has toadied up to you, and who you would like to publicly humiliate.
It may not seem like much of a recipe for success but, if (big if) the political hacks are to be believed, what I have just described is a classic Ministerial reshuffle technique employed by Prime Ministers at regular intervals. And remember, these people are running the country, not a local business!
Domino effects
Ministers would beg to differ. They would argue that they are not running a business per se but a policy making machine that would go stale and lack impetus if fresh faces were not introduced on a regular basis.
They might also dare to suggest that there is no such thing as a little black book kept by the Whips where misdemeanours are noted and toeing the line ticked. They would say matching the skills to the job in hand (good communicators put into high profile roles; original thinkers placed in posts in which new and innovative solutions are required etc.) is the overriding factor.
It is also good to get a diverse mix of people if possible. I know of an ex-Minister who was told that he was doing a good job, but he had to be sacrificed as there were too many middle-aged men in Ministerial positions.
So where does the truth lay? Probably somewhere in the middle.
My experience as a bag carrier did not point to the process being too scientific, and I can assure you that the list the Prime Minister starts with on reshuffle morning does not always resemble the finished article in the evening.
All it takes is for one Minister to refuse a post or unexpectedly resign, and the domino effect comes into play.
What I did marvel at, and still do, is the ability of Ministers to master their brief in such a short space of time. Very often they are appointed in the morning and are on their feet answering questions at the Dispatch Box that afternoon.
Jesse to stay
Oddly, my current job is not unlike my civil service job at reshuffle time. If you have a Minister who you do not like, you are praying for them to be moved. If you have a Minister you do like, not only do you want them to stay for personal reasons, you also want them to stay so that you don’t have to start briefing a new boy or girl from scratch all over again.
My personal view is that I would very much like Jesse Norman to stay. As I am writing this, it appears that he will but, as with all reshuffles, you never know.
