Most Spurs fans will have smiled as AC Milan took apart Arsenal in the Champions League (ECL) R16 last night in the San Siro. It provides an exquisite counterpoint to Spurs’ magnificent display against AC at the same stage in the competition last season, and also suggests that the competition from Arsenal for an ECL berth next season is not as threatening as M.Wenger would have us believe. We are also happy we have the evening off tonight in the Europa League R32 as both Manchester clubs face demanding European ties.

As a lifelong Spurs supporter, I share both sentiments – but probably only because the raising of ECL to iconic media and almost mythical financial status, and the corresponding diminution of the Europa League, is a reality we cannot ignore. It is a reality, though, that I believe should be changed.

Elephant from an Essex Zoo…

After my Xmas piece in Regeneration and Renewal (‘Do they know its Xmas…’), with its reference to Mr Blobby as the generally acknowledged worst Xmas Number One of all time, you may begin to detect a recurring obsession with the title of this blog. However ‘Don’t think of an elephant: Know your values and frame the debate’ by George Lakoff (2004) provides a particularly appropriate and effective reference in a week when Eric Pickles is reported as asserting “Councillors have a moral duty (my emphasis) to sign up to [freezing council tax to] keep down the cost of living. Anything less is a kick in the teeth to hard-working, decent taxpayers”.

Lakoff argues that when one says ‘Don’t think of an elephant’, the listener automatically thinks of one. The conservative’s use of language frames the terms of policy debates in the directions they seek. The underpinning to their worldview is an ‘evil’ world in which laziness and lack of self-discipline needs to be shaped by an authoritarian ‘strict father’ dishing out rewards to the deserving and punishment to the undeserving.

Spurs fans used to have a special affection for years ending in a ‘one’. We won our two First Division titles (equivalent to the Premiership) in 1951 and 1961, and cup successes followed in 1971, 1981 and 1991. Although 2011 has brought no silverware, it has been the best year for Spurs for some time – reaching the quarter-finals of the Champions League in our debut season, and finishing the year as the top London Club in the Premiership by some margin playing attractive exciting football.

It is difficult, though, to find much else to celebrate about 2011… although, as befits a year ending in ‘one’, it has accommodated a number of noteworthy anniversaries.

I have been privileged to work with and for many great ‘leaders’ during my career – and I like to think I have learnt from each of them.

The first Prime Minister I worked for was the Right Honourable George Price. Mr Price was Premier of Belize during the twenty years leading to independence, and then Belize’s first post-independence Prime Minister from 1981-84. He died, aged 92, last week. Widely recognised as the ‘founding father’ of the nation, it is somehow appropriate that he passed away on the cusp of the 30^th anniversary of Belize’s independence (on September 21^st). As I attended a 30^th anniversary party being given by Belizean friends in the UK, more than one of my (all too many) ‘toasts’ that evening were quietly in appreciation of his memory.

On reflection, Mr Price illustrates for me two fundamental dimensions of leadership that are as important today as they were in the 1980s – leaders as ‘keeper of the narrative’; and the importance of leaders as role models, leading by personal example.

The Economist turned its attention briefly this week to UK regional economic geography, on the back of an editorial and an article (‘Railroad to Nowhere’) eschewing the case for High Speed Rail (HSR2) from London to ‘the north’. Their economic geography argument conflates four very different assertions – i.e. that this investment’s economic geography benefits will disproportionately accrue to London (and the Greater South East); that, whilst HSR2 might benefit Birmingham, Leeds and Manchester, it will damage intervening areas in greater need of regeneration like Stoke and Coventry; that the line doesn’t really go to the ‘north’ at all, running only half of the distance to, say, Edinburgh and Glasgow; and finally that you can deliver more economic geography benefits by spending the estimated £32bn on alternative transport investments.

As the English Premier League (EPL) kicks off, I was due to be at White Hart Lane. With the postponement of the game following the awful destruction wrought this week on Tottenham, I had a spare afternoon to ponder the economic geography of ‘the best/strongest League in the world’.

There has been a fair amount of debate recently on the leadership qualities needed for public bodies in current challenging circumstances. Local Government Chronicle (LGC) has even launched a Future Leaders Network. If you want an alternative view on leadership, however, my advice is to watch a good TV crime thriller.

Lord Adonis’s ‘Ashridge Learning Bite’ on Public Services Reform (PSR) at IoD (8^th July 2011) was coherent, well-articulated, and rooted in the real experience of a Minister for 12 years in the Labour Government (and current Director of the Institute for Government). In summary, he characterised Labour’s PSR as ‘Better (public services) for more (expenditure)’ whilst the current Coalition’s ethos was ‘Better for less’. He then argued that ‘better for more’ and ‘better for less’ felt very similar in terms of the difficulties of introducing completely new services; fundamentally redesigning existing services; and increasing citizen co-payment. Lord Adonis’s views deserve respect, but they seem, to me, to suffer from an over-generous interpretation of the Coalition’s approach.

The disappointing news this morning (July 5^th2011) from Bombardier about job losses at their Derby manufacturing plant has sparked a frenzy of media reporting. Today’s reportage is overwhelmingly of Government being compelled by EU rules to award a contract to German company Siemens for the £3bn Thameslink rolling stock project, thereby compelling cutbacks at Bombardier. There are media and political attractions (for both Coalition and Labour) of this account; but is it either accurate or helpful for the UKs future manufacturing vitality?

I have recently been lucky enough to attend three major outdoor arts events – Luton International Carnival (LIC) on 30th May; Alicante’s ‘Hogueras’ (a summer solstice festival); and Rutland’s performance of ‘The Way the Wind Blows’ (26^th June). All three were immensely impressive – involving hundreds (if not thousands) of performers from local communities; producing creative work – music, dance, theatre, costume etc – which is beautifully crafted, by highly talented artists, put together well and coordinated  skilfully.

Beyond the intrinsic qualities of the performance, however, two specific lessons appeared to be relevant to a development professional (I really must switch off more!).