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Events…dear boy… – Why so many consultations don’t result in neat and tidy outcomes; and the need to anticipate what else might come along …
Harold Macmillan is quoted as saying “Events … dear boy …”, when asked about the most challenging aspect of being Prime Minister.
The same could be said by many consultors, when asked why the output of a consultation exercise ultimately failed to influence a key decision or policy.
Maybe it’s Murphy’s law, or just serendipity, but it is remarkable how often a consultation is carried out in good faith, only for unforeseen developments to undermine its base assumptions, and render the views obtained in the exercise irrelevant.
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Rhion Jones
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