tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6888403942905096872011-07-28T17:29:25.632+01:00As Programme Director of The Consultation Institute (www.consultationinstitute.org)for the last three years, and probably the world's most prolific writer on public and stakeholder consultation, Rhion is in a unique position to comment authoritaively on this subject. Every day, the news has significant stories that highlight the worldwide trend towards consulting people on all aspects of public and commercial policies, and this blog will cover all aspects of this issue.Rhion Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18117270476447425253noreply@blogger.comBlogger161100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-688840394290509687.post-48186589323025393842007-11-18T21:04:00.000Z2007-11-18T21:19:04.862Z

Last Tuesday we held our Seminar on Technologies for Participation - a day spent considering all the new fangled methods of holding dialogues.The audience were mostly public sector officials who are already dabbling in this, but who are mostly working for organisations who are yet to make a strategic commitment. They are almost all working in a twilight zone of semi-approved tactical experiments.

Rhion Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18117270476447425253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-688840394290509687.post-57219471324013589542007-09-20T22:08:00.000+01:002007-09-20T22:37:16.228+01:00

It's tempting to smile at the latest Blue Peter catastrophe, but I think it's a classic parallel to many a consultation scenario.Put very simply, had the BBC programme announced that they were seeking suggestions for a name for this cat, they would have been free to ignore the viewers choice; after all it would have been a consultative vote only.But having led the audience to believe that their

Rhion Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18117270476447425253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-688840394290509687.post-75832649706257003642007-08-25T18:04:00.000+01:002007-08-25T18:17:33.573+01:00

With luck, the Conservative Party may this week have learnt a little about consultation processes. Their "bare-knuckled" fight with the Government over NHS closures resulted in a self-inflicted wound; quite clever really!Politically it's always disastrous when your research howlers become the story instead of the message you set out to deliver, and I suspect their mistake was to include in the "

Rhion Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18117270476447425253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-688840394290509687.post-1739546005577852632007-08-18T23:19:00.001+01:002007-08-18T23:34:23.807+01:00

The new Scottish Government is very keen on discussions. Alex Salmond's constitutional options paper is called a "conversation" and the Health department's long-awaited paper is also styled a "discussion document".I'm not sure if these are isolated examples but it could be a trend. The Cabinet Office consultation affecting (mostly) Whitehall is currently posing a number of options including one

Rhion Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18117270476447425253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-688840394290509687.post-62656244257925447352007-08-01T06:55:00.000+01:002007-08-01T07:16:35.420+01:00

The Government has announced new Unitary Authorities to the dismay of about thirty five District Councils, and the ambivalence of the Local Government Association.I have no great problem with the general thrust of policy for I see the two-tier structure as responsible for mass ignorance and confusion among the general public.But I have concerns if, having undertaken good consultation in some of

Rhion Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18117270476447425253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-688840394290509687.post-18869319425363797782007-07-25T22:57:00.000+01:002007-07-25T23:13:41.956+01:00

This morning I attended the launch of e-voice in Birmingham.About 200 people, mostly from the Voluntary & Community sector, came to the Central Library to hear how they can use a Government-sponsored "free" website as a form of strengthening civic society.Tremendous functionality ....an excellent demonstration .... lots of interest, but some concern in questions from the floor.What guarantee was

Rhion Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18117270476447425253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-688840394290509687.post-83166412411483072102007-07-07T21:55:00.000+01:002007-07-07T22:06:05.422+01:00

Seeing Hazel Blears on TV Thursday morning announcing this new initiative makes me wonder whether this will ever get off the ground.The LGA Chairman immediately denounced it, and many Councillors up and down will rightly claim that we already have Community Kitties - they're called Local Councils!But participatory budgeting - to give it its poroper title has a decent track record and has aroused

Rhion Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18117270476447425253noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-688840394290509687.post-26582504954354491532007-07-01T08:32:00.000+01:002007-07-01T08:46:50.151+01:00

Last Thursday was the annual Neil Stewart Consultation conference, and among the speakers was Sharon Grant of the Commission for Public-Patient Involvement in Health. She was giving an update on the Local Involvement Networks (or LINKs) which will take over from the Forums which the CPPIH painstakingly set up three years ago.Her words were not very encouraging. Commenting that there is every

Rhion Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18117270476447425253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-688840394290509687.post-22899588567020403052007-06-15T17:42:00.000+01:002007-06-15T18:10:17.568+01:00

On Thursday, the Cabinet Office launched a three-month consultation on the future standards of .....consultation.I'm not sure whether this will remain of interest just to policy wonks and consultation specialists or whether the media will get hold of the story.There certainly might be a story, for by the autumn, when the consultation is evaluated and decisions have to be taken, we will be three

Rhion Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18117270476447425253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-688840394290509687.post-68352237008222403452007-06-10T20:41:00.000+01:002007-06-10T23:27:09.203+01:00

The Olympic logo rumpus prompts many questions, not least over the competence of those who created as well as those who approved it.But the issue that intrigues me (and several who have e-mailed me) is whether this would have been an appropriate matter over which to consult the public. Those who have experience in this business confide that public competitions for logos or mascots produce a

Rhion Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18117270476447425253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-688840394290509687.post-67068987600594548322007-05-27T15:09:00.000+01:002007-05-27T15:40:32.067+01:00

By my reckoning we have just witnessed the most significant ten days of consultation announcements by this or any Government.In the past week, new consultations have been announced on the future use of nuclear power, and renewable energy (DTI), a new waste strategy for England and a revision to Carbon emissions (DEFRA) and proposed changes to planning laws, affecting Planning appeals,

Rhion Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18117270476447425253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-688840394290509687.post-44643533396078891422007-05-13T10:17:00.000+01:002007-05-13T10:26:28.387+01:00

I'm delighted that Gordon Brown has set out to "listen and learn", but then he can scarcely do otherwise. Just after the last election, Tony Blair said that his Government would be "listening". Clearly politicians feel it's the right thing to do.Consultation is already a huge and growing activity, and Gordon Brown has presided over a Treasury that has almost certainly consulted more extensively

Rhion Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18117270476447425253noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-688840394290509687.post-83246247334542696852007-05-04T20:35:00.000+01:002007-05-05T10:23:42.173+01:00

Earlier this evening, on Radio 4, I heard Lord Rooker interviewed about barometers!It seems that the EU has decided that mercury is so dangerous, that on health & safety grounds, all manner of restrictions must be introduced. Various people cry foul, and euro-sceptics brandish their indignation......So the Minister comes on the radio to explain. He thinks the EU is right, but the British

Rhion Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18117270476447425253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-688840394290509687.post-17665989428718602007-04-30T08:35:00.000+01:002007-04-30T09:00:45.474+01:00

An interesting postscript to last week's Embryology row is the realisation that it arose because one Member of Parliament said that going to consultation was tantamount to "the veto of a public referendum"Now most MPs are pretty familiar with consultations, and they know full well that it is not (except on rare occasions) the same as a plebiscite. Mis-representing the position does Dr Evan Harris

Rhion Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18117270476447425253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-688840394290509687.post-16922840595432380472007-04-26T18:34:00.000+01:002007-04-26T23:08:22.247+01:00

A flurry of interesting activity this morning.At 7.45, I received the first call, alerting me to the fact that on the TODAY Radio 4 programme, the Human Embryology & Fertilisation Authority was being challenged about a forthcoming consultation.An hour later, another colleague rang, telling me to drop everything and tune into the same programme as Simon Jenkins was merrily launching into a

Rhion Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18117270476447425253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-688840394290509687.post-79658378533316561292007-04-23T10:36:00.000+01:002007-04-23T10:42:23.166+01:00

I have felt for some time that there is a need for an effective and authoritative commentary on the subject of consultation.Scarcely a day passes without politicians or public officials committing to consult the public or stakeholders on one subject or another, and as those of us active in this field know only too well, many of these initiatives are highly suspect.Some, on the other hand, are

Rhion Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18117270476447425253noreply@blogger.com3