tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30827235.post6423809263090532952..comments2024-03-12T08:53:00.766+00:00Comments on The Marple Leaf: How to achieve local powerMichael Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08616909770570609477noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30827235.post-28788219859551749912010-04-16T11:35:43.787+00:002010-04-16T11:35:43.787+00:00I think a big idea can and should cover how a part...I think a big idea can and should cover how a party governs, but you are right, it rarely does.Michael Taylorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08616909770570609477noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30827235.post-17776048159311939482010-04-14T14:07:45.688+00:002010-04-14T14:07:45.688+00:00I find politicians' search for the 'big id...I find politicians' search for the 'big idea' increasingly tiresome. We had decades of policy wonks trying to come up with some quasi-philosophical magic bullet that will fix society's ills, rather than acknowledging that what most of us want are just half-decent, well-managed public services. Part of the difficulty is that most current politicians don't understand much beyond politics, and have little understanding of the realities of management or service delivery. I spend most of my non-writing life advising on public sector management - for the most part, what's needed is not some smart political model, just the sustained application of good practice. But that doesn't make good copy in the manifesto.Michael Waltershttp://www.theshadowwalker.comnoreply@blogger.com