Policy, lobbying and the

NI Assembly

Katherine McDonald

Stratagem

Our new politics?

Photograph: Paul Faith/Pool/PA Wire

THE ISSUES• Water charges

• Health (prescriptions, personal care)

• Education (11+)• The Economy (corporation tax, industrial de-

rating)

• Affordable housing

The Manifestos

Consensus can be built e.g.:– Commissioner for Older People– Free personal care – Mental health

• Some spending commitments e.g.:– Drop prescription charges (UUP, SF)

• Devolutionary comparisons and RoI

Lobbying in the Manifestos

• Postcode prescribing and access to drugs

• Access to dementia medications

• Arthritis, MS, cancer, heart disease and stroke, respiratory disease

• Diabetes, stroke and cardiovascular illnesses

Election Results Party Seats

DUP 36 +6

Sinn Fein 28 +4

UUP 18 -9

SDLP 16 -2

Alliance Party 7 +1

PUP 1

Green Party 1 +1

Ind Health 1

SEATS

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

Seats

AllSFDUPSDLPUUP

A BATTLE A DAY?“Love in” or “Work in”?

DHSS&PS Minister Michael McGimpsey

• RPA and local commissioning• Review of Prescription charges• MRSA• Mental health and suicide prevention• Free personal care

Agriculture and Rural Development

• Foot and Mouth

• Sale of DARD land

Culture, Arts & Leisure

• Stadium

• Irish Language Bill

Environment

• RPA – future of local government

• Planning backlog

• Giant’s Causeway

Education• Classroom Assistants’ Pay

• Post 11 arrangements

• School buildings modernisation

Employment & Learning• FE Lecturers pay dispute

• Tackling illiteracy

• Building skills base for economic vision

• Regional minimum wage

Enterprise, Trade and Investment

• Employment levels healthy

• New inward investment

• Move away from public sector dominance

Finance & Personnel

• Inherited budget and CSR

• Efficiency savings – ‘only 3%?’

• Varney and corporation tax

• Managing other Ministers

Regional Development

• Delayed water charges

• Review of Water and Sewerage

• Infrastructure Investment

Social Development• Welfare Reform Bill

• Affordable Housing

• Funding for loyalist programmes

Assembly Business• Affordable Housing debate – housing

associations

• Free Personal Care – Age Concern

• Domestic Violence – Women’s Aid

• Fuel Poverty – SCF, Barnardo’s

• Carers’ Support – Carers Week

"Many people in politics can tell you what just happened to you...you need to change

outcomes."

Tony Podesta,

Washington Lobbyist

Making Real Impact

1. What do you want to say? 2. Whom do you want to say it to - who has

an interest? Who wields influence? 3. What do you do - actions4. Is it working?

“

1.What’s my line?

• What’s do I want?

• Where do I need it?

• What’s my evidence?

• How much will it cost?

• KEEP IT LOCAL

Evidence base Politically acceptable

What is do-able

Understand the environment – Understand the environment – where does policy come from? where does policy come from?

2. Targeting

Minister

Permanent Secretary/Special Advisers

Civil ServiceOFMDFM

MLAs and Constituents

Party Colleagues and

Policy Staff

The ‘Establishment’

Party Members

Unions,

user groups

lobby groups

Academics, think-tanks

experts

NETWORKING“No network? No chance!” Jacques Delors

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? ?

?

?

?

You

3. What can we do?

• Meetings

• Briefings – short

• Committee presentation

• Questions

• Debates

• Constituency events

• Party conferences

OTHER ACTIVITIES• Media • Photocalls• Articles• Opinion Pieces• Profiles• Seminars• Dinners

4. LEARNING FROM EXPERIENCE

LEARNING

WHO HELPED

KNOWLEDGE AT START

THE CHALLANGE

A Corporate Case?

IS IT WORKING?• Remember, change does not happen

overnight, so…

• …build in milestones/benchmarks to keep your self motivated

– Parties met, meetings held, column inches etc.

• Evaluate, then start again!

• ‘All politics is local’

• Coalitions and opposition

• Persevere

• Build relationships for the long-term

“If you don’t lobby,

government assumes you have no problems”

– Ellis, N. (1998) Parliamentary Lobbying