Warning - the following is not thought through. It is simply the outpouring of my rambling thoughts as I walked through St James Park on the way to work early this morning - aware that I had written ‘more tomorrow’ on yesterday’s blog when discussing the relationship between policy and society.

If a policy wonk or an academic had been walking behind and caught the ether of my thoughts, they would have put me right, so thank goodness they weren’t.

As well as being on David Cameron’s public policy commission I also sit on the health sub group. We have had some very detailed discussion regarding health policy, however, I can’t help wondering this – are we developing policy to meet the changing needs of the society within which we live, or are we developing policy which is attempting to right the wrongs brought about by previous policy?  If we are, what is the point of policy?

Did previous policy bring about the demise of the extended family, the lack of neighbourly communities, obesity, drugs, binge drinking, welfare dependency, alcoholism and the highest rate of teenage pregnancies and abortions in Europe?

 I think it did. I think with all the ills of society today you can point the finger at a policy somewhere, sometime, dreamt up by someone - who is that someone? Who actually makes policy? Is it us, the elected politicians?

I really don’t know the answer to that question, and I suspect that I wont, truly, until I have been here for a great deal longer.

Enough! Lunch over…..