Campaigners need a new compass

Nearly two months after the formation of the Coalition Government, many campaigners in the sector still feel wrong-footed and are struggling to work out how to respond to the new agenda, and especially the implications of the emergency budget.  The advent of a wholly unpredicted coalition has deprived most of even a rudimentary compass. Never has “past performance is no go guide to future results” looked more true. At recent voluntary sector conferences there has only been one question: ‘ How can campaigners best work with the Coalition Government, especially in the context of an emergency budget that could have profound implications for their work?’ 

Much of the answer will of course depend on where your organisation is positioned, how much those you work with are affected and what your issues are. The usual rush of parliamentary receptions to establish issues, pleas to meet with Ministers and pluming of officials for snippets about new ministers intentions is of course all par for the course. But then what?

The coalition agreement is the Bible and everything is being reframed to fit with this. This melding, or is it more like mashing, together of policy positions has worked well in areas where those agendas had synergy between the parties before the election, but not where they did not. In other areas campaigners bemoan a civil service still becalmed by uncertainty as they try to plot a course through budget cuts without the kind of detail they need, which the coalition agreement cannot deliver. Here we are more likely to see departments shade yellow or blue depending on the Minister in charge.

Budget reduction will dominate everything and again there is no compass to help. This will not be like any previous cuts and campaigners are going to have to think hard about how they respond. What worked before may not work now. This has given new life to long cherished agendas - think reform of Disability Living Allowance and Incapacity Benefit, where plans already in place can be quickly accelerated and hardened, especially with the prevailing winds of budget deficit. The consequences of policy decisions will not always be clear cut either - removal of the age limit on retirement both a promise and threat depending on your campaign.

In some areas differences of emphasis are already emerging in the coalition and campaigners will be quick to use these. The early strain in the coalition on VAT is a key example of this as are the early concerns around immigration caps. Nick Clegg’s decision to ask Lib Dem MP’s not on the Government payroll to start shadowing and providing a policy critique of the coalitions Government’s performance should provide a good route for campaigners to raise issues. Disquiet on the Tory backbenches will provide similar opportunities. The coalition may turn out to be a lot less monolithic than it currently looks as policies develop.

Good campaigning principles remain the same - there may just be a compass after all! First you need to understand the principles driving policy in your area, and then who the key drivers of that are -Ministers or officials? And who are they reacting to?  Some policies may be going with the grain of your concerns - if so it’s how to deepen and push that commitment further into areas you want to see developed.

If not, then the more difficult choice - do you oppose or seek the best route towards ameliorating the consequences of those policies? The biggest challenge for many will be the savage claw back of public funds to services nationally and its impact locally. Nobody yet knows the shape of this but the ground needs to be prepared now. In doing so, think less about defensive campaigns to save what you have, and more about getting on the front foot and talking about service improvement and relevance, value for money and the social and economic costs of not providing the services your local communities depend on.

If cuts are closing or reducing cherished local services, you may have little choice but to oppose If these are national policy decisions establishing new laws and structures the chances of these policies being overturned in the short term are slim. You may have to think about what can be ameliorated now and what needs to be changed in the long term. If you are going to criticise policy what is your alternative?

Change always brings opportunity for campaigners. Were you really all that happy with the current arrangements for your area of policy and delivery?   Big Society may sound vacuous to some but that’s because it lacks definition. The sector can use this opportunity to bring focus where none existed before. Campaigners need to be at the forefront of making that conversation happen over the coming months, not waiting for the tsunami of budget cuts to hit.

Brian Lamb
28.06.10