European Political News

Tom Watson has picked up on my proposed Guidelines for Civil Servants: Matt Wardman has a different take on the issue. Hes saying theres no need for any guidelines. For Matt, the civil service code will suffice. Id be interested to know if current blogging civil servants think that code provides the clarity you need to blog sensibly without fear that youre doing something wrong. I’m arguing for a strongly minimalist approach: 99.9% of Civil Servants are sensible and professional people of integrity. Civil Serf is an exception in not behaving professionally. Exception control for the 0.1% in this case should be by disciplinary action of the 0.1% under the Civil Service Code, not by creating guidelines for the 99.9%. Blogging guidelines are only an unnecessary result of a need to be seen to take dynamic action. A multiplication of guidelines like rabbits will only serve to generate more boundary quarrels, and waste more time in argument about whether the letter of the guidelines has been breached or not. And then there will have to be a review of the guidelines to identify the weak points. And a policy commission to evaluate the results. And then there will be even more guidelines. And they will have to be put under version control, and distributed to all the Intranets etc etc etc sod it go to 5 and continue in circles. In summary - Ockhams Razor just shredded the guidelines. Or the need for them. Just follow the Civil Service Code. And there is a further debate going on in the comments. Involving blogging Civil Servants themselves is an excellent - nay essential - idea. (more…) Previous in series

Over at Tom Watson’s blog, there’s an article and a good conversation going on in the comments - concerning what guidance should be developed for Civil Servant bloggers. Tom suggests something short and sharp in 12 points: 1. Write as yourself 2. Own your own content 3. Be nice 4. Keep secrets 5. No anonymous comments 6. Remember the civil service code 7. Got a problem? Talk to your boss 8. Stop it if we say so 9. Be the authority in your specialist field " provide worthwhile information 10. Think about consequences 11. Media interest? Tell your boss 12. Correct your own mistakes Various commenters add things (which I’m numbering mainly sequentially, and of which I’m only quoting a portion): Shane 13. Be accurate - dont tell porkies. 14. Treat comments as part of your blog. Make sure they adhere to the guidelines s much as possible. (more…) Previous in series