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An idiot's guide to politics and government
Evilredzebra
Posts: 16,162 Forum Member
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I work for quite a large organisation and have just been transferred to the department that, amongst other things, is responsible for political lobbying.
While it doesn't have an impact on my job, I feel woefully ignorant as I have never taken a major interest in public affairs, beyond keeping up with the news. To get the most out of this new team, I wonder if there are any books that people could recommend that could help get me up to speed. I think I probably need an overview of UK and European politics, government and policy. There are an awful lot of publications out there and I don't want to pick anything that's too dumbed down but equally know that I'll struggle to stay interested in anything deeply technical. So probably A'level, first year degree level.
Thanks very much for any advice.
While it doesn't have an impact on my job, I feel woefully ignorant as I have never taken a major interest in public affairs, beyond keeping up with the news. To get the most out of this new team, I wonder if there are any books that people could recommend that could help get me up to speed. I think I probably need an overview of UK and European politics, government and policy. There are an awful lot of publications out there and I don't want to pick anything that's too dumbed down but equally know that I'll struggle to stay interested in anything deeply technical. So probably A'level, first year degree level.
Thanks very much for any advice.
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Their Very Short Introduction to Politics by Kenneth Minogue is a concise, broad ranging and stimulating book. But I havent read the British Politics volume which I am surprised to see was actually written by the MP Tony Wright.
Regards,
Cypher
http://www.lancs.ac.uk/fass/ppr/politics/undergraduate/courses/poli213.htm
Intro reading list at bottom is pretty self explanatory from book titles.
Course was good 35 years ago and still is.......
http://www2.lse.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/degreeProgrammes2011/government/overview_and_features.aspx - list at the bottom of the page Minogue and Birch might be worth a look.
Politics courses are about being able to think in a political way which is why most courses lay out the theory but then look at real historical problems and how people acted so people can develop the ability to understand the process and calculations.
What you are looking at once you have got into the mindset a bit is some more specific literature on UK and European politics.
If you look on amazon you find things like
http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_2_27?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=lobbying+the+european+union&sprefix=lobbying+the+european+union
http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_2_27?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=lobbying+the+european+union&sprefix=lobbying+the+european+union#/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=lobbying+in+uk+politics&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Alobbying+in+uk+politics
That single phrase, implies to me, that you are actually a manager in this new department.
If so, it proves to me, that the private sector is no better than the public sector when it comes to management.
I used to work for a "blue chip" company that were into legal and general areas (if you get my drift). I was adamant that we could sack half the staff and get the same amount of work done.
I've never believed this idea that private sector is efficient and the public sector is inefficient. It seems to me, that it is all down to size and proximity to your market.
There is a lot of truth in that - which probably explains why the NHS, being the biggest employer inthe Western world, is pretty inefficient.
I suppose it's not just in politics where people get transferred to departments in which they have no experience...
May I suggest British Politics for Dummies, http://www.amazon.co.uk/British-Politics-Dummies-Julian-Knight/dp/0470686375/
Also, just open yourself to the politics which are out there on TV, radio and in the newspapers.
Are you recommending the break up of multi-national companies too?
Don't forget basic sales and marketing texts, and the news. If you're lobbying, then all you're doing is attempting to sell your product/policy to your customer, ie the government, directly or indirectly. Usual sales rules apply, so know your decision makers and influencers. The politics comes in when there are procurement rules or other policy rules wrt to lobbying that you need to be aware of to avoid becoming news yourself.
One of the best guides though is still probably to get yourself a set of Yes Minister. The politicians often aren't the decision makers, can be the influencers and are generally transient. Your job would be to help them solve problems (even if you've sold them those problems first) and make them look good.
Yes Minister is like a test. If you understand everything Sir Humphrey says, and why,you have mastered the mindset......