Will a new election bring change?

Abstract

At the time of writing, only 3 weeks remain until a general election that could see a major shift in the political landscape of the UK. The first ever live television prime ministerial debate has just taken place and more than 9 million viewers witnessed the emergence of the Liberal Democrat leader, Nick Clegg, as a serious political voice in the election. Yet, does the political landscape of the UK really matter to the frontline practitioner who is faced with an ever-increasing demand upon already stretched services? Do we really need to be sitting down and reading the manifestos of the main protagonists? In reality, the answer has to be yes because as public servants, the policies of the government of the day will have a very significant impact upon the way we work, the way we are measured and the level of remuneration we receive for our efforts.