Whether the Conservative Party’s social care policy is right or wrong and whether or not it is a U-turn is immaterial (for these purposes). The fact remains that it is a classic case study on politicians’ failure to understand how best to use public consultation!

Three quick points:

1. There is nothing wrong with securing electoral support for a policy and then using public consultation to seek opinions on the details. Ken Livingstone famously got an electoral mandate for a Congestion charge, then consulted on its boundaries, the charges, the exemptions and other stuff. For Party manifestos to signal that they will consult on details is perfectly OK.
2. This, however, only works when the policy itself is clear, unambiguous and understood by everyone. A Congestion charge met that test. The problem for Theresa May has been that without a certain level of detail, most people cannot be sure what they think of her Manifesto commitment. She risks sounding as if she is saying “Vote for Me; and we will consult you to work out what our policy actually might be.”
3. All Politicians are slow to grasp that the best time for consultation is BEFORE deciding a policy – not AFTER you’ve announced it. Worse still if, in the meantime your Ministers have toured the TV studios saying the policy will not change. All parties are guilty of limiting the scope of consultations to safe, less significant details that avoid political embarrassment.

When, as this week, Manifesto promises arouse unexpected opposition – it is very tempting to assure everyone that a future consultation can offer a degree of flexibility. Ultimately however, no-one can be sure the extent to which a future Government would take consultee views into account.

Consultation is a great tool, but has to be used with care and integrity. It can help Ministers, Councils, public bodies and a host of others make better decisions. But it is not a substitute for policy-making.