Claire Foster-Gilbert – författare

Now more than ever, public servants must consider and reassess how to keep moral courage in public life alive. With ethical expectations and needs changing and government policies under increasing moral scrutiny, Claire Foster-Gilbert of Westminster Abbey Institute gathers a series of essays and lectures by herself and others, exploring the meaning of 'moral code' in today's public service, and how it can be rekindled in practice.Timely and timeless, the book is founded on traditional values of honesty, moral rigour and neighbourliness, and discusses how to champion stability, peace, community and virtue in contemporary public life. The authors, including eminent figures such as the former President of Ireland Mary McAleese, historian Peter Hennessy, former First Secretary of State William Hague and former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, explain how realistic compromises can be balanced with clear goal-setting for ideal results. Forward-thinking and authoritative, this book will be a precious resource to anyone seeking to boost the circulation of integrity throughout all aspects of public life.

British civil servants are unique figure, required to be independent custodians of propriety and dedicated to Ministers’ priorities, yet ready to recalibrate their focus overnight when a new Minister is appointed. Often mistreated as pen-pushers or scapegoats, they are duty-bound against defending themselves in public or acting on personal principle at the expense of the Civil Service Code.Peter Hennessy and David Normington bring personal insight to their illumination of the origins and purpose of this invaluable institution. Looking closely at the mechanics of government, they assess both the longstanding threats to civil servants’ political impartiality and the new challenges posed by Brexit, providing an essential introduction to life in the Civil Service.

Good governance is one of the UK's fundamental values, and citizens are entitled to expect that public officials, both elected and non-elected, behave according to the highest standards of ethical behaviour. However, such lofty aspirations are not enough to root out corruption. If integrity in public life is to be maintained, the core principles behind it must be constantly sustained and strengthened. This new Haus Curiosities volume, published in collaboration with Westminster Abbey Institute, looks at the place and meaning of integrity in the individual public servant, in public service institutions, and in the wider public they purport to serve. It tries to answer the fundamental questions of what integrity means in public life, what lasting value it has, and why it has such a critical part to play in the constitution of Britain. The book also explores how people in public service institutions can cease to behave with humanity when those institutions deny the individual human spirit. On the other hand, the authors argue for the critical importance of institutions in upholding values when fallible humans forget them, as we have witnessed in the Civil Service's steadfast and stabilising response to the Brexit referendum and its uncertain aftermath. Integrity in Public Life provides a critique of and an essential guide to integrity, leaving the reader with some hope for its continued place in public life.

Democracy depends on consent. That means politicians have to argue their causes and win consensus. But democracy has its flaws, not least in the lack of efficiency in the decision-making process.In this book, two leading figures of the British political establishment share their thoughts on where democracy is heading and how it can survive in the 21st century. John Major outlines the qualities on which a healthy democracy depends, as he deplores the current trends in political exchange. Nick Clegg writes of the ways in which political language has always involved trading insults, and he argues that compromise is not betrayal but the very substance of our politics and our democracy.Based on contributions they made to the Westminster Abbey Institute’s democracy series, this authoritative analysis of the state of democracy in the UK is a clarion call to the electorate and politicians to nurture and protect the values on which that democracy depends.

How can we speak of truth in an era of lazy assertions and unstable facts? We must, these intelligent essays implore us. Discovering the truth and, indeed, telling it are vital if we are to enjoy a civilised society in which everyone is free to flourish.Vernon White shows that absolute truth exists and explains why and how it matters morally, while Stephen Lamport describes why truth is important to sustaining civilised society and argues that truth is central to other essential, human qualities. Finally, in her contribution, Claire Foster-Gilbert explores the challenges of truth-telling for public servants: for politicians, who are routinely not believed; for civil servants, whose ministers may only want to hear those facts tht support their policy ideas; for journalists, tempted to tell the story that is ‘too good to check’; and for judges, police officers – even us.

'It was only two days after I arrived that I realised I had actually joined MI5. It did not exactly throw the doors wide and welcome scrutiny. The existence of the service was avowed but very little else about it was. Who worked for it? Where were its offices? What was its budget? What did it do? What was its relationship with government? All of these were secret - and yet MI5 was the most open of the three intelligence services.'In this short book, former Director General of the British Security Service Jonathan Evans describes how the secret services dealt with the need for greater openness and transparency during his tenure, even as national security needs were heightened. He draws insightful similarities between investigative journalism and espionage - from following leads and checking information to protecting sources - and welcomes the benefits of a mature relationship between the security services and journalism. He explores differences and similarities between other security services around the world, especially those in the United States, and how Brexit might impact the UK's future collaboration with other European security services. Secret Service is a fascinating insight into the world of the security services and a reminder of the importance of actively attending to the moral health of both the institution itself and its operatives who, by their very nature, are its greatest strength and also its greatest weakness.

Now more than ever, public servants must consider and reassess how to keep moral courage in public life alive. With ethical expectations and needs changing and government policies under increasing moral scrutiny, Claire Foster-Gilbert of Westminster Abbey Institute gathers a series of essays and lectures by herself and others, exploring the meaning of 'moral code' in today's public service, and how it can be rekindled in practice.Timely and timeless, the book is founded on traditional values of honesty, moral rigour and neighbourliness, and discusses how to champion stability, peace, community and virtue in contemporary public life. The authors, including eminent figures such as the former President of Ireland Mary McAleese, historian Peter Hennessy, former First Secretary of State William Hague and former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, explain how realistic compromises can be balanced with clear goal-setting for ideal results. Forward-thinking and authoritative, this book will be a precious resource to anyone seeking to boost the circulation of integrity throughout all aspects of public life.