Tessera
Folgen

Alex Parsons

@alexparsons.bsky.social

Democracy Programme Lead / Senior Researcher - mySociety/TheyWorkForYou. Also for some reason Postman Pat reviews.

3867 Posts1852 Follower1006 Folgt
Alex Parsons@alexparsons.bsky.social · yesterday

Andy Burnham has pulled out of his Edinburgh Fridge event, and I really enjoy the idea of the organiser, having booked the mayor of Manchester, just sort of staying quiet and hoping it's all fine.

Alex Parsons@alexparsons.bsky.social · 3d ago

So I think the written constitution conversation is a bit at cross purposes because Burnham means it almost entirely in a German basic law, entrench devolution and regional equality way.

James Austin@jamesdaustin.bsky.social · 3d ago

I'm not against a written constitution per se - it could be helpful in clarifying how our constitutional law works - but I am increasingly of the view that its a side show*. What matters most are norms - and our focus should be on re-establishing and strengthening them.

Alex Parsons@alexparsons.bsky.social · 5d ago

With my new Scotland hat on, I think devolution in England is really significant even if nothing in the text is about the devolved nations because it is a practical weakening of centralisation.

Alex Parsons@alexparsons.bsky.social · 5d ago

This is interesting continuity and contrast with Starmer - in that there was also a suspicion of arms length bodies but the answer was always "Shabana Mahmood will now be doing this personally" (still a potential outcome here) rather than chaining that up with devolution.

Bild
Gavin Freeguard@gavinfreeguard.com · 6d ago

I have blogged! The State of the Present: Andy Burnham’s new government or - Why the abolition of DSIT is baffling and bad - Why I'm worried about what it means for civil service reform - Some opportunities for the new government around data, digital, open government medium.com/state-of-the...

The State of the Present: Andy Burnham’s new government

In common with lots of other policy people in recent weeks, I’ve been reading Head North, the (very readable) book by new Prime Minister…

medium.com

Alex Parsons@alexparsons.bsky.social · last wk.

The thing about "I got a donation to charity on my behalf" is it doesn't matter where the money goes if the third party got what they wanted by spending it

Daniel@deargodwhaat.bsky.social · last wk.

Hmmm feels bad that the new Chancellor participated - and was happy to be quoted - in a 'charity bet', with proceeds donated to his local food bank Quick question: how many people are using that foodbank because their husband gambled away the grocery money?

Alex Parsons@alexparsons.bsky.social · last wk.

The trouble with the "you can do a little corruption, you just have to tell us about it" system is that it is easy to spin the actual rule breaking as an administrative oversight. And sometimes it is! But also it's the only rule so you have to do it!

Sunder Katwala (sundersays)@sundersays.bsky.social · 2w ago

Nigel Farage on whether his gifts/donations were declarable: “All right, perhaps I should have filled in a piece of paper. If that’s the worst thing I’ve done in life — not filling in a form — I would say that’s not too bad.” “I’ve certainly been judged guilty already by the liberal establishment.”

Jeni Tennison@jenitennison.com · 2w ago

Exhibit A: British Gas explains how it's the customers' fault that they're cutting 1,300 call centre staff - people just prefer chat bots! Exhibit B: Trustpilot summary of reviews of British Gas customer service: frustration of being forced into online channels and unable to speak to a person.

But Chris O’Shea, the company’s chief executive, insisted that the changes were being made because customers preferred to take their queries to digital channels rather than people. “AI isn’t driving these particular job reductions; that’s mainly due to changing customer behaviour,” he said. “What we’re seeing just now is over 90% of our customers actually use digital channels in the first instance, and we’ve seen a 20% reduction in customer calls, so this simply reflects the changing customer behaviour. “We’ve got to reflect the changes in customer behaviour. We expect to grow more jobs around our digital interface, and maybe having fewer people on the phones.”Customers consistently note ambiguous experiences with customer service, with many praising the helpfulness, professionalism, and clear communication from agents and engineers, who explained everything and resolved issues quickly. Reviewers appreciated the ease of booking appointments, prompt confirmations, and the availability of out-of-hours support. However, a significant number of consumers expressed frustration with the inability to speak to a person, being redirected to online channels, and a lack of follow-through on promised callbacks. Many also reported issues with conflicting information, unaddressed complaints, and a perceived lack of care or understanding from customer service representatives, leading to prolonged unresolved problems and financial concerns.
Alex Parsons@alexparsons.bsky.social · 2w ago

Talked about in here, but I think the interesting bit of the "how are things going to be different" in the Burnham message to the PLP was the stuff about ministers being available (rather than the things under the heading whipping). MPs should be trying to get concrete structures to back this up

Alice Lilly@aliceolilly.bsky.social · 2w ago

Partnered with the brilliant @rebeccamckee.bsky.social to look at Andy Burnham's stated approach to working with his backbenchers. While it's encouraging that the new PM is thinking seriously about this relationship, he could go further to truly embed different ways of working

Pete Apps@peteapps.bsky.social · 2w ago

In November, a lobbying firm approached me and asked to pay me to write articles critical of the Building Safety Regulator for newspapers. Filmed undercover, their staff admitted secretly paying reporters for copy in British newspapers friendly to their clients: www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Lobbying giant filmed offering reporter payment for flattering client coverage in national press

Exclusive: Guardian investigation of CT Group uncovers practice that appears to seek hidden influence over public opinion

theguardian.com