Big lobbies won't help Coalition decentralisation plans

The government's decentralisation programme is so appealing to my policy wonk side. Ditch the central diktats, let local people decide, admit one size can never fit all. Marvellous. But my lobbyist side is a bit more unsettled. It's far from certain what a decentralised UK will look like, but it'll almost certainly have big disparities and be pretty complex. This has big implications for those seeking to influence government policy - big enough, I reckon, to mean the big lobbies might end up opposing decentralisation in case it diminishes their traditional influence. Centralisation isn't cool and it's probably not a very good way to run things either, but it does make things easier for lobbyists. Find your minister, your department, your lead civil servant and a couple of interested parliamentarians, hop on the tube to Westminster, and you're halfway there. But imagine how many more people this might become if decision-making power was really devolved to local and community levels. Getting consistent messaging and strategies for all those variegated audiences sounds like a nightmare (and an expensive one at that). If this is nagging at me, then consciously or unconsciously, maybe a lot of lobbyists - therefore some of the big lobbies - are worried too. And that might lead to some instinctive positioning against decentralising measures, because it means lobbyists need to devise a whole new way of influencing. After all, the whole political establishment is geared to centralised government - and that doesn't mean some 'resistant departments', as decentralisation minister Greg Clarke hinted at Policy Exchange this morning. That means all the other stakeholders - trade organisations, trade unions, business lobbies, professional organisations, quangos and charities, who between them can quash all but the most zealous of political reforms.

Painful rhetoric and limited Lansley at Tory manifesto launch

I'm not much impressed by this morning's launch of the first chapter of the Tories' draft manifesto. The Tories' post-Christmas rhetoric isn't great so far - too simple, too negative. "We can't go on like this" is a dire motto that's unlikely to beat back the January blues. George Osborne warmed up the crowd. Not sure this was wise, as suspect the Osbornes have too much cash to ever find themselves on an NHS waiting list. Dave was next up, with a rather uninspiring speech echoing much of Saturday's bland Obama-ese. Had violent urge to drink a finger of vodka every time he said "change". Two main problems with the whole presentation, however. One - the commitment to ringfence the NHS budget is one of the more questionable aspects of the party's budgeting, so is it really the best issue to springboard a manifesto from? Two - Andrew Lansley, despite the occasional gaffe, is well-informed, personable and good on TV. As shadow health secretary, why wasn't he fronting the launch?