Why should we care about political lobbying? Isn't business all about making connections? What's the problem?
You hear phrases like "systemic" and "endemic" - but what does that actually amount to?
Unfortunately it amounts to a vast global problem that creates the illusion of democratic process, but with out much actual democracy. Instead, all kinds of effects which are clearly and obviously problematic are ignored and suppressed - climate change, wealth inequality and much more.
In this special episode we start out with a look at the hypocrisy at the heart of the preferential lobbying machine, and in particular we explore not only how it became visible to Ed during his time working with central government, but also how, as he and Ray Ison applied systems thinking to governance, all roads seemed to lead one way: preferential lobbying is the central problem in our many and various challenges, and it can only be adequately mitigated, and even eliminated, by means of constitutional change.
Talking points:
The true intent of the 2014 lobbying bill, and the way David Cameron expressed it
Strategic lying
Lobbying in the time of Blair
Civil servants and ministers are not equipped to understand
Ed's report on the civil service got squashed
The problem with reform
"Superficial civil servants and daft academics"
Private meetings and address books
Legitimate lobbying and grey areas
The capability to employ professional lobbyists
Secrecy is a central part of the problem
Broadband as a case in point
Preferential lobbying has emerged as a central theme
...as a common root cause
Post master controversy as a case study
Appearance and reality in democracy
pros and cons of industry experts
Transparency
Visionary leadership vs. the reality of financial markets
Preferential lobbying is a zero sum game: it's wealth extraction
A capitalist ideal vs. rent seeking
Ethics and pragmatism
Feedback
Big pharma stamps out Teatree oil
Multiply that hundreds and thousands of times
viable systems method - how these conditions were identified
Problem - Analysis - Policy - Approval - Implementation - Solution
But policy making is fundamentally experimental
The need to build in redundancies
9 conditions necessary for preferential lobbying
Changing the constitution is the necessary condition of stopping preferential lobbying
Good lobbying is about making your case in pubic
The Finance Curse
Links:
Polly Toynbee on the 2014 Lobbying act:
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/apr/15/cameron-lobbying-act-business-politicians-2014-charities
A corporate entertainment story - Biathlon (NY Times - article)
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/28/sports/olympics/biathlon-russia-doping-besseberg.html
Strategic lying (The Conversation - article)
https://theconversation.com/strategic-lies-deliberate-untruths-used-as-a-political-tactic-new-study-159723
Chart of the Ascent of Everest (diagram/ infographic)
https://historyshots.com/blogs/news/18078975-chart-of-the-ascent-of-everest
Book recommendation:
The Finance Curse: How Global Finance Is Making Us All Poorer - Nicholas Shaxson - Vintage
The 9 key conditions that facilitate preferential lobbying:
1. Preferential access to decision makers
2. Government decisions made in private
3. Low subject knowledge of ministers and officials
4. Few restrictions on political party funding
5. Availability of patronage
6. An effective choice of two parties for government
7. A politicised judiciary
8. No direct or participative democracy
9. Weak checks and balances on government decisions, especially the lack of independent feedback
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