Tuesday Topic

One of the abiding characteristics of our public service is obedience to the law – and a reluctance to take risks by over-reaching ourselves. There’s an old rule of thumb […]

Those with long memories may remember something called The Pepsi Challenge. Effectively this was a blind test to see whether consumers preferred the taste of traditional Coca-Cola or the fiercely

In the perfect world, a consultation is organised by people who genuinely want to hear your views so that they can take decisions or review their policies. They will be

Organising an effective consultation exercise can be a complex project management task. Pulling together the different work packages and ensuring that different disciplines work together to a common timetable or

Not all public participation or consultation is a one-off exercise. It is true that much that is most visible reflects the most extensive, wide-ranging dialogues, accompanied by appropriately high wide

When C. Northcote Parkinson first mooted his theory in the pages of the Economist in the mid-1950s, could he perhaps have foreseen how relevant it might be to 21st century

Media coverage of recent events has hardly broken new ground, but it may have reminded readers and viewers how focused we have all become on personalities. True, there is discussion

Consultation is an excellent way to focus on the real issues Media coverage of recent events has hardly broken new ground, but it may have reminded readers and viewers how

Picture the setting! A motley collection of worthies, no doubt intended to be representative but more likely to be wonderfully atypical and idiosyncratic – are gathered together and earnestly apply

The Prime Minister had a bad press the other day! Nothing new in that you may say: but the occasion for criticism might have raised a few eyebrows among those