Patronage Politics & Strategic Planning

Yesterday's Financial Times carried an article about plans by the University of Oxford's Said Business School to run a Masters course on strategic programme and project management. A lack of UK (and international ?) skills in these areas was cited as the main catalyst for the course. However, I would argue that these skills do already exist both here and abroad, and that the main constraint upon them is the increasing dominance of so-called patronage politics, or clientalism as it is sometimes called. The latter term also points to another problem. Lack of expertise, and, more importantly, experience amongst the "clients" for (and procurers of) strategic projects and programmes. Administration rather than management is the modus operandi of many of these organisations and groupings, with an over-reliance on often inappropriate and/or inadequately customised IT systems. Sound familiar ?

"A Binge rather than a Boom"

The well-regarded economist Roger Bootle recently commented that the circumstances leading up to the present "credit crunch" reflect a "binge rather than a boom".

When news of the former Deputy Prime Minister's bulimia broke yesterday - incidentally, I did think for a moment that Bremner, Bird and Fortune had hijacked Broadcasting House - my understanding of the New Labour Project was, therefore, profoundly deepened.

The fact that, in a world where there are serious food shortages and many people are starving, just why Mr Prescott should anticipate that the British public might feel sympathy with him is interesting in itself.

Hard working people often say to me that what they particularly dislike ("what I can't stand.."!)about New Labour's time in office is "The Greed" to which it has given rise and then rewarded.

News of Mr Prescott's erstwhile desire to chomp his way through the entire menu at his local Chinese Restaurant, and then spew up, may well make many British people, struggling to pay their rising food bills, feel sick.

However, this kind of thing appeals to the neurotic middle classes, who in my view, have come to make up much of the hard core support of New Labour, and have certainly been the main beneficiaries of its policies, including a "bingeing" economy.

Does Boris have the "Ken" to run London ?

I was recently asked who would have my votes (ie first and second preference) in the elections for London Mayor. This is a hypothetical question because I do not live in London. At the time, I responded the Green and Liberal Democrat candidates. However, on reflection my first choice would be Boris Johnson and my second Sian Berry : who might, incidentally, make a very good team, compensating for one another's weaknesses. Mr Johnson is a tad (or should that be cad ?)too clownish, and Ms Berry a little too serious. My questioner, although a Liberal Democrat who also lives outside London, said he would vote for Ken Livingstone, although I hope Brian Paddick would be his second choice.

My questioner was, I suspect, surprised that current London Mayor Ken Livingstone would not be amongst my voting preferences. The main reason for this is that I believe politicians should be limited to fixed terms of office ie 2 successive terms, and not "go on and on, and on" as Ken's great adversary, Mr Thatcher, threatened to do, but did not succeed, thankfully. Moreover, I have to confess to preferring early vintage Livingstone (as Leader of the Greater London Council) to the later variety. In short, Ken seems to have lost some of his metal, and perhaps like Vladimir Putin needs a sabbatical, if only to attend to his lady friends, as Mr Putin is reputedly engaged in doing.

I also happen to feel that Mayor Livingstone has run out of ideas, something Boris Johnson seems to have, although I'm not quite sure what they are, aside from the return of the Routemaster bus, which I heartily support. Indeed, if BoJo had no other ideas, I might vote for him on these grounds alone, being a great fan of the Routemaster, and occasionally experiencing an all too brief epiphany when I infrequently catch sight of an old one (usually the No 12) around Worcester, unfortunately no longer taking public passengers to Oxford Circus. However, like the Routemaster, old "Red" Ken holds not only a certain nostalgia, but the sense that he could make a comeback at a later stage.

In the meantime, I'll be asking, along with many other people, I'm sure : "Does Boris have the "Ken" to run London ?". Working with a good green woman like Sian Berry, he just might have.