[First Published on Monday 1st February 2010]
This archive item is a window onto issues as they appeared at the time. It contains facts and opinions which may have been superseded by subsequent events.
On 24th January 2010, the Better Government Initiative published a 56 page report – “Good Government – Reforming Parliament and the Executive”. Written by 14 former senior civil servants, including Lord Butler and Sir John Chilcot, the report concludes that reform of our governance is urgent. The report addresses what has gone wrong and sets out 39 recommendations for change, ranging from better and evidence based policy formation, less legislation, clarity around the duties of ministers and the re-establishment of the role of the civil service which has been damaged in recent years by the growth of special advisers and civil servants.
This publication presents the personal views of the author and not those of The Constitution Society, which publishes it as a contribution to debate on this important subject.