Gordon Brown had plenty of time to prepare for being prime minister, but it would be hard to tell given the dearth of new ideas that has characterised his time in Number 10.
Brown wants to be seen as a politician with a philosophy that can transform public services in the same way that, once upon a time, he transformed the economy as chancellor. It’s fair to say, he still has some work to do.
This is presumably why, under the tutelage of Brown’s new chief of staff, Stephen Carter, Cabinet members were obliged to split into groups this week for breakout sessions, in a desperate bid to come up with election-winning ideas. With Labour trailing the Tories in the polls, the pressure is on to reinvigorate government.
Brown’s most promising idea so far is ‘personalisation’. This goes beyond Blairite attitudes to choice and competition, and puts the emphasis on the needs of the individual citizen.
So this week we had confirmation that hospitals will be able to advertise their services, as non-emergency patients are allowed access to any hospital in England.
We also saw the publication of Hazel Blears’ draft strategy on participatory budgeting. The communities secretary wants to use public meetings and ballots to help decide funding for local environmental projects, road improvements or crime-reduction initiatives.
It’s a risky business delegating such power to unelected individuals, but it certainly offers an opportunity to gain greater community engagement. And, if all goes to plan, services will be shaped directly around the needs of local people.
But the cynics have a different analysis. They suggest that ‘community kitties’ allow national and local politicians to avoid making the difficult decisions – if you don’t know what to prioritise, let the people decide.
This is particularly germane when the finances are tight and likely to get ever tighter as the threat of a UK recession grows.
If it works well, though, participatory budgeting could be the means to re-engage people with politics. If it fails, well, it’s back to the brainstorming sessions.
