Writing the Politics of Consultation obliged Elizabeth Gammell and myself to confront some uncomfortable truths – primarily that the ‘politics’ can often frustrate even the best-organised attempts to involve the public.

Not electoral, representational politics exclusively, even though this is important.

Wherever power is exercised, or even ‘perceived’ it can affect the behaviour of institutions, organisations and, of course decision-makers of all kinds. It influences the decision of whether or not to launch a consultation in the first place and shapes its scope and content. To take the ultimate example, the decisions to hold a Referendum on our membership of the EU and to formulate the question as a straight IN/OUT were probably more significant than anything that followed. Huge ‘political’ (in its widest sense) pressure can be exerted at other points in the process, including the choice of options, the methodology of gathering people’s views and no doubt on the substance of the issues under debate. Nowhere, however are choices made more crucial than at the very start of the consultation exercise.

And so, it seems to us in respect of the recently-closed consultation on reforming the Gender Recognition Act. The use of the term ‘reform’ itself carries a particular meaning, and there will be people who may take issue with that label. For those who have campaigned in favour of the Government’s proposals, it probably represents a major step forward in a long-term process of persuasion. Not the culmination of a journey, but another step along the way for policy change. Depending upon your point of view, the decision to hold a consultation is either an overdue recognition of the need to address a long-standing grievance or an unjustified disturbance of an otherwise acceptable status quo.

The lesson is that those with strong feelings about any topic have to maintain their vigilance and remain aware of political developments around them. Academics talk credibly of a culture of ‘anti-politics’, whereby serious-minded people swallow the tabloid lie that all politicians are crooks and have not a shred of integrity between them. This is huge threat to democracy, for if it undermines the system of representative government and its relationship with civil society, we will forever see a parade of policy initiatives engineered by relatively small groups and slipped through unnoticed under the noses of an apathetic public.

The transgender controversy is most definitely not in this category (though some others are) and Parliamentarians in general will be quick to point out that the narrative leading up to the recent consultation was very transparent. It should not have taken many by surprise. That it did so is understandably annoying to those who have campaigned for years for a better deal for the Trans community.

It shows better even than our book can demonstrate that the pre-consultation period is now of major importance. If there is to be an open, inclusive debate, someone needs to prepare the ground so as to avid interminable squabbles about what is in scope and what isn’t. Governments vary from department to department and from day to day in their anticipation of the politics of consultation. Some are really well-prepared. Yet it is only a few years ago that David Cameron felt obliged to fire his DEFRA Secretary, Caroline Spellman after the ill-fated consultation on the future of Forestry. Having antagonised both the National Trust and the Daily Telegraph in one go (quite a feat for a Conservative Minister) she found herself  in difficulty and the Prime Minister admitted that they had not done enough ‘pitch-rolling’.

Consultations like the one on Transgender issues do not come out of thin air, history shows that you have to stay tuned into the daily dynamics of political sentiment, and look for the telltale signs that a consultation may be on its way. The stories in our book make the case beautifully!

Click here for the Article on the Gender Recognition Consultation.

Click here for the Politics of Consultation.

The Consultation Institute can run a Workshop on ‘Anticipating the Politics’. For further discussions in the institute’s workshop, please contact Karen Fourie or 01767 318350.