The Future of Public Trust
PREFACE
The Opportunity for Public Affairs
We are pleased to introduce this collection on essays on the opportunity for public affairs which is presented by the debate about the regulation of lobbyists and the current period of global crisis. This is the fourth volume in a series designed to make available the perspectives of professionals, academics and officials at a reasonable price. Our thanks go to our contributors and our publisher for having made the process of producing this text so enjoyable. While not responsible for any statements of fact or opinion by the contributors, the European Centre for Public Affairs is delighted to offer them this platform to present their views. It is our hope that the book can help to stimulate discussion and debate among all those who share our interest in high standards and ethical conduct.
Recent years have seen a decline in "public trust" in politics. Many had come to believe that neither politicians nor public affairs practitioners could ever again inspire confidence. The election of President Obama is a clear indication that electorates are still prepared to trust leaders who they think capable of facing the challenges of a paradigm shift in human affairs. For practitioners to achieve a similar confidence requires that they constantly strive for the "best practice in public affairs" which has been at the heart of the work undertaken by the European Centre for Public Affairs since its foundation in 1988.
There has been much talk of how an Obama Administration will have different relations with lobbyists. There will be some adjustments - Obama refused to accept campaign contributions from lobbyists, and has pledged that lobbyists will not be given positions in his administration in which they would have responsibility for their former industries. Equally, though, Obama has a full policy programme which will inevitably bring with it extensive legislative lobbying opportunities. It is doubtful that the American system is about to change fundamentally. However in both America and Europe we are likely to see continued demands for greater transparency and accountability in the practice of public affairs. We should not regard this as a threat, rather we should see it as an opportunity for public affairs. An opportunity to show that the practice of public affairs in a time of crisis is about the serious defence of reputation rather than an exercise in transient spin. In recent years we have seen huge companies and organisations disappear overnight. Public affairs practitioners who want to avoid that fate for their organisations will need to base their external communications on a clear base of internal realities and internal communications. In a time of political and economic upheaval such as this, the public affairs function becomes even more important. Navigating the complexity and uncertainty of change requires that organisations can draw upon experience and expertise in public affairs. New agendas bring a need for an understanding of personalities, policy and process. Effective dealings with government and society are now more crucial than ever to overall success. The key to positive engagement today is leadership. Public affairs practitioners need to be influential not just in the public policy arena but within their own organisation. PA has always been an important management function, but increasingly it has to be central to the engine room of any organisation. It must be highly visible to every other internal unit; it must demonstrate its contribution and relevance across all parts of the business.
At a collective level, lobbyists recognise that issues of accountability and transparency can no longer be addressed through a discussion among the political elite. There is a clear public interest involved here. Lobbying is central to democracy; an interest group system is - alongside parties, elections, parliaments, executives and bureaucracies - core to the workings of a free political system. But with this comes a professional responsibility to ensure appropriate standards of conduct and to be seen to be acting ethically. There is also an opportunity here for leadership and renewal on the part of those bodies which represent public affairs practitioners, ECPA included. We have a role to play in bringing together professionals; helping to train, educate and motivate them; defending their interests and values to policy-makers; and offering more proactive and vigorous direction to efforts to inform the public about the legitimate role of lobbying.
The debate about the European Transparency Initiative is at an interesting point. The SEAP conference on 5 November 2008 revealed an emerging consensus among practitioners about the way ahead. Such a consensus will be helped by two trends. The departure of Commissioner Kallas provides the opportunity to take a new look at the issue. The learning experience of filling in the voluntary register is already beginning to culture a consensus amongst experienced practitioners that they could live with light touch regulation.
The next twelve months will be a period of consolidation and creativity. Those of us involved in the struggle to create a robust but realistic framework for the conduct of public affairs should draw some inspiration from the conduct of the Obama campaign - stay on message, stay calm, take all available opportunities.
Tom Spencer and Conor McGrath
16 November 2008