A post-truth civil service? That way madness lies
With the resignation of our Ambassador to the EU and the ongoing tweet storm of policy pronouncements as Trump builds up to taking over the US I am getting heartily sick already of the post truth environment we are living in. This article points to things just getting worse – and to think I’m just putting the finishing touches to a rural evidence base!!!! This thought provoking article tells us:
For most of last year, Whitehall escaped direct hits from resurgent populism, but this could be a year where public servants come under sustained attack. It is easy to imagine how this might happen. In 2017, any honeymoon will be well and truly over for prime minister Theresa May. Brexit draws closer. The difference by rhetoric and delivery will widen. Months will have passed since the referendum, yet everything will appear to be the same or worse. Who to blame? Those pesky Europeans? Well, of course. But they will bite back. How about going for those who can’t respond? Officials are a tempting target.
Whitehall will need to respond to this, but will find the going very hard. We are all wired to seek out information that supports the coherence of our worldview. The civil service’s worldview is compiled of data, evidence and the opinions of other learned folks. But if 2016 reminded us of anything, it’s that many people don’t make their decisions on that basis, however much one insists they should. A neat, logical chain of facts is only one form of argument. It was not one that performed well last year.
When it comes to making a case, the civil service is completely wedded to this logical framing of arguments. It provides the basis for every ministerial submission, every white paper, every business case. Civil servants are not allowed to appeal to rhetoric, emotion, beauty or pride. That is not their job. But narrow-mindedness presents a real problem. How can the civil service defend itself adequately if it is unable to put forward arguments that resonate with people who intuit things in a different way to civil servants?