"The right encourage this argument. They are rolling the pitch to come in with a chainsaw and tear up public services entirely. Bafflingly, some on my own side of the political divide have begun to parrot the same argument. They complain about the civil service. They blame stakeholder capture. This excuses culture does the centre-left no favours. If we tell the public that we can't make anything work, then why on earth would they vote to keep us in charge?"
"He said campaign groups, regulators, litigators, trade bodies and well-networked organisations were hobbling any change the government wanted to pursue. Starmer himself has voiced frustration that levers that he could pull as prime minister often resulted in obstruction. Streeting's comments were echoed by Louise Casey, the lead non-executive director in Whitehall, who said the government needed to just stop complaining it was difficult to get things done."
The centre-left faces criticism for an excuses culture that blames Whitehall and stakeholders for the slow pace of change. Allies of the Labour leader cite regulations and arm's-length bodies as sources of delay. A former senior aide warned that campaign groups, regulators, litigators, trade bodies and well-networked organisations hobble government reform. There is frustration that levers available to a prime minister often meet obstruction. A senior Whitehall non-executive warned of learned helplessness and urged departments to adopt a "grip it, fix it" culture. Comparisons to hard-right threats and a shopping-trolley analogy underscore the need for proactive steering of public services.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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