Things can (still) only get better
12:57pm Thursday, 21st September 2006
Did Blair deliver better public services? It's a question that seems very pertinent on the eve of the Labour Party conference, and one that Madeleine and I have had a crack at answering in this week's Public Finance magazine.
We argue that Blair achieved a lot, but he failed to make his reforms add up to a vision of a better world. By being too centralist and alienating a lot of his natural constituency, including public service workers, the PM lost the chance to radically reshape the state. Instead, we got a better version of the same old services.
Of course, the big question is: what comes next? We have a stab at that as well, but I'm hoping the politicos will spell out their approaches a bit more over the next few weeks. It would be good to know where Brown, Cameron, et al really stand...
Also interesting to know whether you think we've got it right. You can of course comment below, or if you're in Manchester next week you can come and heckle us at one of our fringe meetings.
We argue that Blair achieved a lot, but he failed to make his reforms add up to a vision of a better world. By being too centralist and alienating a lot of his natural constituency, including public service workers, the PM lost the chance to radically reshape the state. Instead, we got a better version of the same old services.
Of course, the big question is: what comes next? We have a stab at that as well, but I'm hoping the politicos will spell out their approaches a bit more over the next few weeks. It would be good to know where Brown, Cameron, et al really stand...
Also interesting to know whether you think we've got it right. You can of course comment below, or if you're in Manchester next week you can come and heckle us at one of our fringe meetings.
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A better version of "the same old services"?
I think not. The introduction of new players in the NHS (both "independent sector providers" and autonomous, mutual Foundation Trusts) is radically transforming the nature of the beast along with Payment By Results and Patient Choice.
Arguably the change is less fundamental in other public services, but the state is being reshaped.