Francis Maude
The View from 22 — Francis Maude and Liz Truss on Margaret Thatcher
How does Margaret Thatcher’s legacy impact Tory MPs today? This week’s Spectator magazine contains a 16-page supplement considering the premiership of Baroness Thatcher, both high and low points. On this… Continue reading
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Francis Maude strikes conciliatory note in stand-off over senior civil servants
Francis Maude’s latest plan to get the civil service working more effectively sounds very sensible: so sensible, in fact, that it’s a wonder it has taken so long. The problem… Continue reading
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The gumming up of Whitehall
Tony Blair is paying a visit to journalists in the Commons this week for a festive lunch. Last week, David Cameron complained to lunching hacks about the ‘gumming up’ of… Continue reading
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Who do you think you are kidding mister computer hacker?
The Big Society struggles on, making its mark yesterday in the unexpected realm of cyber security. In a written ministerial statement on the nation’s efforts to tackle cyber crime, Cabinet Office Minister… Continue reading
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The gate beckons for Andrew Mitchell
The papers are unanimous: Andrew Mitchell is a dead man walking, and like most pantomime ghouls he’s become a laughing stock. Fraser’s Telegraph column tells of MPs and cabinet colleagues… Continue reading
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Firestarter Francis Maude needs to keep fanning the quango bonfire
The Prime Minister once promised a ‘bonfire of the quangos’. Although his government has sometimes failed to fulfil expectations, his firestarter in the Cabinet Office, Francis Maude, has managed to make… Continue reading
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Slashing and burning the civil service, or just skimming off the top?
Are Francis Maude’s £5.5bn savings in central government spending a significant step forward in his battle to shrink the public sector? In today’s Telegraph, the Cabinet Office minister explains the beneficiaries and sources… Continue reading
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Overhauling the Rolls Royce
‘I was sceptical [about civil service reform] until I read that unreadable column.’ This was the response of a Westminster type who I spoke to earlier about Francis Maude and… Continue reading
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Cameron must take on Whitehall
I doubt that, come the election in 2015, many voters will remember the row about putting VAT on pasties or Francis Maude’s advice to fill up a jerry can with… Continue reading
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A question of motivation
Flitting through the opinion pages this morning, there’s one headline that stands out far more than any other. It’s on Charles Moore’s column for the Telegraph, and it reads, ‘Even… Continue reading
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Fuel for the political bonfire
Pasties and jerry cans — who’d have thought that yesterday’s politics would descend into a roaring debate about two such innocuous items? And still the hullabaloo goes on. Most of… Continue reading
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Labour’s baggage stops it from gaining the upper hand
It now seems as if Downing Street is moving towards releasing a list of Chequers guests. This is belated recognition of the fact that their best hope of getting beyond… Continue reading
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How will the Lib Dems respond?
The key thing to watch for during Francis Maude’s statement is the Lib Dem reaction. At the moment, the Tories can rebut Labour’s criticisms of them by pointing to both… Continue reading
31 CommentsMaude lends the unions a hand
Francis Maude presents himself as a man trying to help the unions out in today’s Financial Times. Some unions say they have to go ahead with strikes on November 30… Continue reading
14 CommentsUnion bosses: Thanks for the concessions, but the strike’s still on
The TUC have just released a statement responding to the tweaked public sector pensions package that I blogged about earlier. It is, in part, fairly conciliatory; saying that the group… Continue reading
24 CommentsGabbing about growth
Growth is the word on Tory lips at present. David Cameron responded to Andrew Tyrie’s criticism when he arrived in Manchester yesterday evening, saying that the government has “an incredibly… Continue reading
10 CommentsScottish Conservatives, 1965–2011
You read it here first – four years ago. The Conservative Party looks like it will finally enact its plans to split, and the Scottish Conservatives will dissolve – at least if… Continue reading
21 CommentsWhich department could be replaced with a mathematical equation?
I answer the question in an article for the Times (£) today, in response to Francis Maude’s announcement yesterday. But for those CoffeeHousers who can’t vault the paywall, here’s the… Continue reading
37 CommentsGove steps in to keep the schools running
A letter is bouncing around Whitehall, and I thought CoffeeHousers might care to see a copy. It has been penned by Michael Gove, and is being dispatched to all headmasters… Continue reading
18 CommentsThe government has been the author of its troubles
In his Spectator column this week, James Forsyth painted a picture of a government taken by surprise by enemies who have, in effect, ambushed them – the civil service, the… Continue reading
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