Governance – Page 2 – Here and there

David Runciman: Coronavirus has not suspended politics – it has revealed the nature of power

5 April 2020 Online editor Analysis and comment, COVID-19

In an article in The Guardian, David Runciman shows how the pandemic has removed “one layer of political life to reveal something more raw underneath”. He writes, “As Hobbes knew, to exercise political rule is to have the power of life and death over citizens. The only reason we would possibly give anyone that power is because we believe it is the price we pay for our collective safety. But it also means that we

Populism, Nationalism and Illiberalism – a challenge for democracy and civil society

1 April 2020 Online editor Analysis and comment

LIberal aspects of democracy, in particular civil liberties and the rule of law, are essential to a democratic system worthy of this name. Majority decisions taken in illiberal contexts are not a sufficient basis for political action: there is no such thing as an “illiberal democracy”.

Jonathan Freedland: As fearful Britain shuts down, coronavirus has transformed everything

21 March 2020 Online editor Analysis and comment, COVID-19

Jonathan Freedland reflects on the speed at the which the national life of the United Kingdom has been completely transformed by coronavirus – and on the emerging questions and divisions. Divisions that came down to the government’s preference for the voluntary over the compulsory; a social libertarianism approach that may prove to have been just too cavalier.

Transparency International: In times like these, transparency matters more than ever

19 March 2020 Online editor Analysis and comment, COVID-19

Published by Transparency International on 19 March 2020, this article looks at the importance of transparency as governments around the world face shortages of medical supplies, prioritising of access to medical services, and allocation of relief funds. It is essential that transparency, openness and integrity are maintained and extended across the health sector. It is vital that emergency powers are exercised only for the purposes for which they were granted. Since many normal oversight and

Crisis and the Transformation of Government Administration: responding to the Thodey Review

9 January 2020 Mike Scrafton Australian focus, By Mike Scrafton

The Thodey Review of the Australian Public Service is set against a backdrop of four simultaneous and momentous crises before which modern democracies seem impotent; global warming, population growth, wealth inequality, and a dangerous geostrategic shift. Is the APS as reformed by the Thodey Review going to be up to the task of supporting ministers facing this level of overwhelming uncertainty and risk management?

The Nationhood Power: a senior public servant’s radical and disturbing view on Executive government in Australia

4 February 2019 Mike Scrafton Australian focus

We should pay close attention when Michael Pezzullo connects together a dubious ‘social contract’, some muddled history, superficial legal references, and an almost mystical connection between the Executive and the ‘common good’ with some as yet poorly understood ‘nationhood power.’

Mike Pezzullo: from hobbit to Hobbes

25 October 2017 Mike Scrafton Australian focus, By Mike Scrafton, From the archive

According to Mike Pezzullo, Australians are like ‘comfortable hobbits’ – blissfully unaware of the grave dangers that exist beyond their borders and ill-prepared for the ‘emerging … “dark universe”’ of globalised ‘terror, crime, and indeed evil’. Pezzullo’s proposed response is radical and revolutionary and alarming.