tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24338064.post5735868582364768440..comments2024-02-11T19:28:27.997+11:00Comments on Personal Reflections: The lost art of Cabinet governmentJim Belshawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10075614280789984767noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24338064.post-7747867846497415832010-11-18T15:50:11.112+11:002010-11-18T15:50:11.112+11:00Winton, sorry for the very slow response. If I rea...Winton, sorry for the very slow response. If I read Paul's story correctly, the interest rate subsidy issue did go to and was approved by Cabinet. Mr Howard's subsequent words actually over-rode a Cabinet decision.<br /><br />I am not such a purist, I think, as Paul because I think that politics is the core business of the elected government. They have to take into account and make judgements on the views of the electorate. While Paul would probably accept this point, I am probably more relaxed than he is about some of the results.<br /><br />My focus in the post was on the way decisions are made. It may be, as you suggest, that some form of drought relief is inevitable. From a personal viewpoint, I would support that. However, the nature of that relief is very much a public policy issue. By essentially over-ruling a Cabinet decision in the way he seems to have done, Mr Howard damaged the Cabinet process.Jim Belshawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10075614280789984767noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24338064.post-21400820219787633882010-11-15T15:17:32.293+11:002010-11-15T15:17:32.293+11:00There are probably a few different ways a prime mi...There are probably a few different ways a prime minister could make a credible commitment not to make policy changes without reference to cabinet. <br />However, when I think about the drought relief example in Paul's post I wonder whether it would have made any difference to the outcome if the concessional interest rate issue had gone to cabinet prior to Howard's announcement of the policy change. I can't think of anything that the government could do that would convince me that in future droughts it will not provide drought relief assistance to farmers.Winton Bateshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07383561940886657594noreply@blogger.com