I digress … thoughts on fish & the environment
“Lobbying is the art of the possible” – not attributed to Otto von Bismarck I started campaigning for the UK Labour Party and a pro-European agenda. I got used to being on the losing side. Coming from the North of Ireland, my DNA must be instructing me that compromise is the only realistic way … Read more
I’m sometimes asked how to successfully influence the outcome of decisions/votes/proposals at the EU level. This is my model. It draws on working with organisations that have a network in most EU national capitals,e.g. WWF. It’s been tried and tested for over 30 years. It is based on lessons learned over 30 years … Read more
One day I hope an academic in Europe replicates John W Kingdon’s ‘Agenda, Alternatives and Public Policies‘. I stumbled on this book back in 1999 in Boalt Hall Law School. It opened my mind. Here was an academic who wrote clearly, and understood how public policy and decisions really were made. It made a lot … Read more
A constant gripe from lobbyists is that officials and politicians don’t listen to my interests, nor understand me. This is the same refrain if you work for an NGO or industry. Yet, there are a few who walk amongst you who don’t have that issue. Officials and politicians ask for their input and often co-opt … Read more