There are a lot of proposals going through inter-service consultation at the moment. Most of them will never make it to the College’s agenda. They are agreed to by the Services and the Cabinets by way of written procedure.
So, if you want to influence what comes out the door, you are going to have work with the Cabinets.
It seems clear that most lobbyists miss the mark when dealing with Cabinet members. That’s not my view, it is what some current and former Cabinet officials have told me. So, here are 10 simple points to bear in mind when you are working with them.
10 Key Points
- You are going to have just thirty and forty minutes when you meet. Their schedule is just too packed.
- Realise that they don’t control their schedule. That’s in the hands of their Commissioner. So, they may cancel their meeting with you at the last minute. It is not personal.
- Tell them what you want and go in with a political message. You are going to have to put forward a solution forward. If you just put a problem on the table, you are wasting your time and theirs.
- Make sure your briefing is just one page and have copies to leave behind.
- The Commissioners team is made up of a mix of technocrats elevated from the Services and political players brought in. Make sure your briefing is not too technical. Yet, you are going to be able to dive into the technical issues if they come up.
- Their primary role is to guard their Commission and provide recommendations. As they speak for the Commissioner, their thinking will reflect the Commissioners. Sometimes, officials may appear to deviate from their Commissioner’s line. If fuzzy thinking appears, you can only ask for clarification, or hope to meet the Head of Cabinet later in the day.
- These political advisers finalise the lines to take and speaking points on issues prepared by the Services for their Commissioner. The Commissioner will often work through these on a Sunday afternoon and call the Cabinet staff for explanations on lines being recommendations.
- If you want your case to be taken seriously, you are going to have to come forward with evidence and data. Slogans won’t cut it. If you, like many, don’t bring forward evidence, your case won’t go forward. If you say the information is secret, save your and their time, and don’t come.
- There is usually a point person to communicate politically back home. If you issues that speak to ‘back home’ reach out to them. Some countries have a tradition of fostering close links between their nationals in Cabinets. The alignment between certain capitals positions and some officials is at times remarkable. So, do not be surprised if some Cabinets ask you about the political positions of one or two countries.
- Cabinets provide a political sanity check on the proposals from the Services. But, they don’t always align with the Services. They always consult the Services on files, and there is little freelancing on decisions.