What do civil servants really think about the state?
Civil servants feel stifled by cumbersome processes, weak talent progression and ineffective procurement, according to a new survey that casts doubt on the government’s ability to deliver on the transformative “missions” it’s promised, says Joe Hill
The Government took office a year ago pledging to change the country with five big “missions”. This approach was heralded as more than the sum of its parts – not just a new set of priorities, but a new way of governing the nation, based on their frustrations with a state which felt like it couldn’t deliver for the public.
Having been a civil servant, I know that the things which frustrate people outside of the civil service are just as frustrating on the inside. But it’s often hard to explain why – so recently we asked civil servants what they thought about the state of the state.
Missions are meant to be defined by a laser focus on key priorities, and gearing the whole of government to deliver those. The Prime Minister said it was a “gauntlet thrown down” for the civil service to pick up. But based........





















Toi Staff
Gideon Levy
Sabine Sterk
Tarik Cyril Amar
Mort Laitner
Stefano Lusa
John Nosta
Ellen Ginsberg Simon
Gilles Touboul
Mark Travers Ph.d
Daniel Orenstein