Not all disruption is born equal

There's been a real flurry of big opinions swirling around the US government community recently in terms of the Musk DOGE agenda.

And it’s really starting to get under my skin.

It’s getting better, don’t get me wrong. So much of it started off unbelievably naive, advocating for giving DOGE time, actively supporting it even, with the narrative evolving into something a little more nuanced and balanced in recent days such as this piece just out from Jennifer Pahlka .

And look, I get it. We’ve all been schooled in how to talk and behave like diligent civil servants, focused on the delivery of the government agenda of the day. It has not and should not be our place to do the politics with a big P, but focus more on the how of getting it done.

Myself included. I have spent most of my career working for politicians of a very different political bent to me in the UK, Australia, and elsewhere around the world. I've never had an issue with it because I respect democracy and, tbh, have often found (moderate) right leaning parties more open to change and innovation in government (as Jen and others allude to - the left has too often failed to take on the radical reform we desperate need). So politics is fine by me.

Add to that, yes of course I agree we need deep and radical government reform, more so in the US than anywhere else l've worked. Government at every level is a sprawling, incoherent, broken mess that is holding back the country and often failing the people it serves, and the people working to deliver it alike.

But, and this is a big BUT…

This is not business as usual people. No longer can we say that we can and should separate the ‘how’ from the ‘what’ when it comes to this administration. Sitting here in DC, I find it mind boggling that people I know, love and respect can be so naive as to say that Trump, Musk and DOGE are in the same category as what has come before and that we should treat them the same way, even using this opportunity to crowbar in change we’ve been advocating for.?

For one, they are not showing us the same courtesy or respect. As Jen says in her article “Mr. Musk seems to be trying to destroy it [government]”, focused only on a small group of fanatical loyalists hell bent on the same mission. To Musk and gang, the deep state is not deep at all. It is deep, wide and pretty much everyone involved in the mission of government and public service (see a mere 300 people surviving out of 10,000 USAID employees).

This is a gang of techno-libertarian nihilists rolling into town taking active joy in the destruction of many of the institutions (broken and in need of a reboot as they are) that have in fact made America what it is - a globally dominant economic powerhouse underpinned by democracy and the rule of law (yes I know I know I’d be the first to debate all of that as an outsider but let’s stick with it for now). They have no understanding, nor desire to understand, the role of government beyond how they can best take advantage of it for their own financial gain. End of.

Just because it may look and feel a little like the radical change we want to see in government, we cannot lose our North Star. Our principles, our values, what makes us human. We cannot tackle this moment with our heads alone, we have to engage our hearts.

Trump and Co care nothing for the tradition of a politically neutral civil service. They mock, despise even, the concept of public service, unless it is in service of boosting the economy and those set to gain most from it (especially themselves).

We cannot engage using the tools and mindsets of the past. Yes, that past may only be 3 weeks ago now, but this is where we are and we need to wake up.

Our inspiration should come more from Germany’s Wir sind die Brandmauer (firewall against the far-right) both in politics and in the delivery of government, refusing to enable an administration of white supremacist billionaires already often acting well beyond the rule of law, enacting something that looks remarkably similar to a march towards authoritarianism in the US.

We appear to have learned nothing from Brexit for instance, where there was a promise of sunny uplands on the other side. Only to find these populists who find themselves in power haven't got a clue what to do, and are only interested in exploiting the civic realm for their own enrichment, grabbing even more control over our lives.

Just because their means might appear to be the same as ours does not mean their intent is.

“We” want change for good. Change that brings about a better, stronger, more effective and democratic state. For all Americans.

“They” want to break it. To burn it all down. To take control of our government. To gain even more power over our lives and the wealth of the nation.

Yes we still need to advocate for disruption and change, but disruption that is managed, that retains the values of public service at its heart, that considers the role of government and the needs of those who rely on it the most. Not disruption that moves fast, breaks things and frankly couldn’t care less about the consequences.

Things are moving fast but we must too. The rules of the game have changed whether we like it or not, and we need to move with it or be left wondering how so much of what we have taken for granted in our precious, boring administrative state has been lost forever.

That starts with opening our eyes, believing what we’re seeing and describing it for what it is, not what we wish it was.

Clear eyes, full heart, can't lose.