When ministers decide to announce a policy, there’s much backroom work to be done. In the first of a new monthly series, Confederation of Passenger Transport CEO Simon Posner explains more
There are many things that I miss from my past life as a civil servant – and quite a few that I don’t. I don’t miss being around just before a party conference or a general election announcement was due. Why? Because that is when ministers and their special advisers get together and come up with snappy policy ideas that will be headline catching and popular.
It was at times like this that colleagues a lot further up the command chain would gently persuade ministers of the error of their ways. Occasionally they had to frighten them off with words such as ‘brave’, that cause dread to course through a minister’s veins.
There is a serious side to this: Policy made on the hoof is very often bad policy. It is the job of elected politicians to set the policy agenda, but it is up to the civil servants to ensure that policy is correctly implemented.
And, there are many things that have to be taken into account. Has the policy been costed properly? How does it fit in with the policies of other departments? Importantly, will there be any unintended consequences? And most importantly, will it actually achieve what it set out to do?
None of this is as simple as it might sound. The most-often quoted example of a ‘knee-jerk policy’ that fell foul of the tests above is the Dangerous Dogs Act. Others quote Gordon Brown’s pre-election free concessionary travel announcement. I couldn’t possibly comment.
It is not just the civil servants who have to be on their toes. Any trade association worthy of the name will have a close enough working relationship with its sponsor department to ensure it will be consulted before any policy announcement is made. This is because the industry will have a better idea than most of how the policy may play out.
Very often the industry will wish to dissuade ministers from taking a particular route. Just saying ‘no’ will not do, you have to say why – avoiding the self-interest argument – and, very often, offer up an alternative that will still meet ministers’ objectives. As is the nature of the beast, there will only be days or even hours to turn this round.
Whether CPT has been doing this in the run up to the Conservative Party Conference, I couldn’t possibly say.
What I will say, is that all trade associations can do is make sure that those making decisions are in possession of the best possible briefing on the consequences of their policies, and the alternatives available if they decide to change course.
Ultimately however, it is the elected politicians who will decide. That is what democracy is all about.
