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Jill Rutter

5 Sep, 11 tweets, 4 min read

@instituteforgov

.@instituteforgov has published a paper by Lee Cain on reforming the govt communications service...it offers a fascinating insight into the Cummings/Cain approach to govt ..he makes the case for the plans they had for massive centralisation of govt comms

paper here...instituteforgovernment.org.uk/sites/default/…

I wrote a blog criticising those plans last year...instituteforgovernment.org.uk/blog/no10-cont…

But here are some more thoughts...first Cain says ..

Really mate? this is the GCS as a govt-of-the day propaganda machine, born out of a campaign mentality. How about GCS with a role of providing citizens and taxpayers (who pay for it after all) with robust and reliable information about govt activities?

Many who have worked in Downing Street comms will share his frustration with off message ministers (I used to get daily calls from the No.10 press sec about what Ken Clarke had just said when I was HMT press sec) -

@ukandeu

but under his vision ministers have no independent agency. This is presidential prime ministership blue in tooth and claw - me for @ukandeu last year ukandeu.ac.uk/boris-johnsons…

@GavinFreeguard

what Cain does not address is anything about standards in govt comms... its possible to fully agree with him about the need for govt to get its act together on dataviz (just hire @GavinFreeguard and @Aron_Cheung for a couple of days to give them a course..)

But you might just think its MORE important that we have a govt that does not willingly and wilfully mislead the public, in parliament, in the press conference room and in background briefing...

A paper that recognised that would look at what measures are needed to restore not just competence to govt comms - but integrity too after its bruising encounter with the arch-campaigners of Vote Leave.

@AlexGAThomas

These are points which @AlexGAThomas makes in his response...and is the real debate we need to be having. instituteforgovernment.org.uk/blog/lee-cain-…

But its great we have a chance to see - and understand - what No.10 thought it wanted last year.

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Jill Rutter

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so its back to Scotland this week in @UKandEU #Brexitwitnessarchive with an interview with former SNP Europe spokesperson @StephenGethins. Lets pick out some highlights...

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we are celebrating the fifth birthday of @tradegovuk next Tuesday

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first we are discussing how you go about creating a new department and new capacity from scratch - with @JohnAlty1 @Lorand_Bartels @SamuelMarcLowe - and me ... join us at 11.30

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