This week a cross-party commission to look at civil service reform was launched. Former ministers John Healey and Nick Herbert have established GovernUp – ridiculous name, I know, sorry but it seems to come with the territory – as ‘an independent, non-party project to consider the far-reaching reforms needed in Whitehall and beyond to enable more effective and efficient government’.

It is about time. The bureaucrats have already got their retaliation in first. A book – ‘The Blunders of Our Governments’ by Anthony King and Ivor Crewe – has been published, which can be summarised as saying ‘it would all be fine if it was not for these appalling politicians’. Robin Butler has been on The Westminster Hour expostulating. And Francis Maude, doing excellent work in the Cabinet Office, has received the most vicious of assaults – the most senior civil servants effusively praised him and recommended him to the prime minister for promotion to cabinet. Maude saw through the subterfuge and turned down the job offer – he wants to complete his reforms.

For my taste there are too many of the ‘usual suspects’ involved in GovernUp. In particular there too many lords, a complaint I am sure I will continue to make until I too don the ermine. But I will hold off judgement until I see the colour of their thinking. The tests of success will be:

–       maintaining Maude’s increase in the number of political appointments in ministerial offices to 20

–       making no proposals for departmental reorganisation

–       finding genuine savings

–       never mentioning ‘silo-based’ services

–       clearing out the senior staff who have failed

In Ronald Reagan’s great phrase – ‘it’s not easy, but it is simple’.

—

It is hard to know where to start with Maria Miller. There is the way she tried to delay and derail the commissioner’s investigation into her. There is the cynicism of David Cameron keeping her in office because he does not have enough women in his cabinet. And then there is the breathtaking contempt she showed for parliament with her non-apology apology. This is all of a piece with the way the coalition has acted since it was formed – born out of a hung parliament they have systematically undermined the authority of the Commons.

An unnoticed side effect of the fixed-term parliament is that votes count for virtually nothing. The defeat over Syria should have been as devastating for Cameron as it would have been for Blair or Brown. It was not because the government shrug their shoulders and point to the fixed election date. And they get away with it. It is now part of No 10’s political management toolkit. Can’t get your own backbenchers to vote for the Queen’s speech – your own Queen’s speech? Then let your party abstain. You will pay no reputational price. Got a revolt on your own side that is pushing an illegal amendment? Abstain and let Labour vote it down.

The benefit for Ed Miliband is that he can drive the political agenda. Even on an issue as small as smoking in cars with children Labour got their way. But there is a long-run damage to parliament. When the legislature is unable to hold the executive to account democracy is undermined.

—

In another instalment of ‘politics through the looking glass’, we have been breathlessly informed this week that the Liberal Democrats have withdrawn their support for the bedroom tax. Cue cheers from council housing across the country. When will I get my money back, ask tenants? But here is the rub: ‘withdrawing support’ does not mean repeal. It just means getting all stampy-footy and pouty and saying ‘a big boy did it, and he ran away’. George Osborne sure did a bad thing but his gang included the parliamentary Liberal Democrat party.

But let’s not just get mad at yet another show of Liberal Democrat hypocrisy. No, it’s time for us to get even. Let’s make them put their votes where their mouth is. We need a smart parliamentary manoeuvre. Rachel Reeves needs to dream up a clever amendment for abolishing the bedroom tax and then attaching it to one of the many bills currently going though parliament. With Liberal Democrat support we could ditch the hated tax a year early. This is foolproof because the Liberal Democrats cannot possibly be trying to dupe the voters by saying one thing and doing another, can they?

———————————

John McTernan is former political secretary at 10 Downing Street and was director of communications for former prime minister of Australia Julia Gillard. He writes The Last Word column on Progress and tweets @johnmcternan

———————————

Photo: Liberal Democrats