Ryan Bourne: The limits of weirdos and misfits

“Bad management” or “the wrong skills” or “incompetent people” are held up as the root cause of bad government.My central gripe is that I doubt this is true.

White hot heat of the technological Cummings?

This new government seems to want to concentrate its energies on giving Britain a cutting edge. Will it succeed where others have failed?

Nick Hargrave: Ten pieces of advice for political staffers during this coming election

In some campaigns, the end result is overwhelmingly likely before a stump has been erected. This is not one of those occasions.

Grieve’s demand for advisers’ correspondence touches on awkward questions of how transparency really works

He’s right that such data is public, even if in private hands. But the route he has taken to try to obtain it is full of difficulties.

Nick Hargrave: How Downing Street should adapt to the new premiership – if either is to work at all

Governing is harder than campaigning – and doing so with next to no majority in an emerging constitutional crisis is another order altogether.

Richard Chew: We need to professionalise the Special Advisers

They’re an easy target for criticism, but SpAds make all the difference to the Government’s performance and the Party’s prospects.

This fair hearing for Blair cannot rehabilitate him

Jon Davis and John Rentoul’s new book contains valuable material, but cannot efface Iraq, or the former Prime Minister’s self-righteousness.

Iain Dale: Brexit Derangement Syndrome breaks out everywhere. Adonis, Bridgen – and now, alas, Boles. Everyone’s going bonkers.

Plus: Which of Hancock’s Slags should I liaise with? I’m not known as “Uncle Herod” for nothing. And: Here’s hoping 2019 is happier than 2018.

Andrew Goodfellow: The Conservative Research Department is as effective as ever – in a more complex and challenging world

Andrew Gimson’s article on this site yesterday was wrong about its condition. The quality of SpAds that it produces is still high.

The Rudd debacle highlights a problem. Many of the Government’s special advisers are no good.

Ministers like Amber Rudd have great difficulty finding able SpAds because the Conservative Research Department, which used to train them, has been destroyed.

Nick Faith: Five actions for new Secretaries of State as they get to grips with their new departments

Given Brexit, limited parliamentary time and a hung parliament, one priority is to demonstrate how leaving the EU will create specific opportunities for Britain.

To find out why people value WhatsApp encryption, Rudd should talk to her own colleagues

The Home Office has somewhat improved its position, but still seems to think the will of a minister can overcome the laws of mathematics.

Exclusive: The third candidate shortlisted in Aldershot is Chris Brannigan

The former Lieutenant Colonel in the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards fought in Iraq, and is now the Prime Minister’s outreach director.

Andrew Snowden: We’ve made a good start reducing the cost of politics – here’s how to do even more

Now the number of MPs is being cut, why not cut the number of ministers? And SpAds? And local “Champions”?

Nick Timothy: Detailed analysis? Strategic planning? Not a bit of it. Let me tell you how a Spending Review really works

They ought to be an important opportunity for the Government to quicken the pace and improve the quality of reform.