Are Dominic Cummings' visions anything more than just policy tourism? | Glen O'Hara

The PM's chief adviser thinks postwar US successes can be replicated here. But context is everything

The works of Dominic Cummings are becoming legion, and by his works shall you know him. His agenda for Boris Johnson's government on the domestic front is clear: make government more dynamic, more astringent and more expert; invest in science, technology and infrastructure; prise education out of the hands of generalists, and towards technical specialists - especially in science, technology, engineering and maths (Stem).

There's a lot of profit to be had in Cummings' famous blog posts, and quite some heft to his worldview. Many of the individual elements are compelling. Management is undoubtedly important, and Cummings is correct to stress its vital role in making things happen: time and again politicians say such and such will be so", and boring old public policy experts go away thinking no it won't".

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Related: Inside the mind of Dominic Cummings

Glen O'Hara is professor of modern and contemporary history at Oxford Brookes University