There’s much to ponder in Lord Sainsbury’s interview with the Times today. Does the major Labour donor rate Gordon Brown, for instance? There’s enough ambiguity in some of his answers to suggest not. And will he continue to give money to Labour ahead of the next election? Again, there’s no definite answer – and that could be enough to provoke nervous jitters in Labour HQ.
But the most thought-provoking comments concern the relationship between politicians and the civil service. Sainsbury is scathing about the “out of date” civil service, which he feels could learn from private sector practices. Here are some of his key points:
“Ministers and civil servants are, he believes, too locked into their departments. ‘Government isn’t joined up because it’s no one’s job to join it up,’ he says. ‘If you want to have a policy on low-carbon cars, that involves four departments and you end up with 100 people in a room.
Comments
Join the debate for just $5 for 3 months
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for $5.
UNLOCK ACCESS Just $5 for 3 monthsAlready a subscriber? Log in