There is a deep irony in a government that has kept making the same sort of mistakes now lecturing its civil servants (who have to deal with the consequences) that they should adopt the “test-and-learn culture” of the best digital companies and “first-class” government projects.
Since Labour ministers arrived at their desks in July, less prepared than might be optimal, they have tested many policies with disastrous political consequences. But, like the Bourbon dynasty in France, they seem to have learned remarkably little about public persuasion. If they carry on at this rate, they’ll lose the next election as comprehensively as they won the last one.
