Lobbying

If you are serious about influencing public policy decisions, you need to plant some acorns. You’ll copy the forester. You’ll plant a few ideas, or as we will call them, acorns, that can be harvested at the right time to influence decisions in the right direction. If you plant an idea, the seed needs to … Read more

Negotiating a piece of EU legislation is not like haggling in a Turkish bazaar.  If that’s your tactic your chance of getting what you want are off to a bad start. Too many think that works in getting a road project with a local mayor who is their second cousin will work when dealing with … Read more

In policy-making, there is usually a concern that is driving the agenda.  I’ve spent many years working on air quality. The concern was that ultra-fine particulate matter, PM 2.5, had the greatest health effects. Over time, with new studies and evidence, the idea became mainstream. The idea had been around for a decade or more. … Read more

From time to time, I have been asked how to get an idea taken up and put into an EU law. I got round to putting the practicalities of doing so into a few chapters of a book published in a few days time (link). After having done it a few times, my standard line … Read more