Nanker Phelge: Scheming Virtuously?

Phelge - whose pseudonym was originally used by the Rolling Stones as a credit for group compositions - states that he or she is "not working to take down any one political party," but for "fairness for all parliamentary staff."

It's a fascinating story, this - a voice emerging from the partisan backrooms to share concerns with peers and the general public.

Or is it?  There's no way to tell based on what we have.  One would think that, with modern tech sophistication being what it is and all, finding where these emails are being sent from shouldn't be that hard. It could be someone completely removed from political backoffices; it could be, as the chosen pseudonym implies, a collaboration between staff - perhaps even of separate parties.  Heck, if could even be a partisan staff carrying out a particular mandate.  Who knows. 

I would imagine that by now, investigations are being conducted to identify and isolate the perpetrator(s) - nobody likes a whislteblower, don't you know, especially within partisan politics where a strict code of omerta is supposed to be maintained.

Which makes it all the more interesting - who would be willing to risk their entire future career (because yes, politicians and parties do have that level of influence) to raise their voice in this way?  Do they feel untouchable, do they consider the cause important enough to take the risk of being caught?

What I know is this - HR in government is far from perfect, especially when it comes to partisan staff.  There are myriad cultural reasons for this; partisan staff tend to be transient, they are often paid for by a different body than the one they're practically accountable, so on and so forth.  Elected Officials receive no staff management training and, frankly, many of them don't care to.  There are many unhealthy relationships between employers/managers/HR/staff within political and public sector offices.

At the same time, there is a growing movement of public servants who get this; they recognize toxic work culture for what it is - not a "management style" but an actual impeding of productivity, innovation and transparency.  

While the clay layer seems fixated on title as a determinant of importance and staff as functionaries rather than engaged participants, the science of behavioural economics, the psychology of motivation and the capacity of UX/design thinking to empower innovation, user-generated content, brand-building, so on and so forth - they're all on the radar of forward-thinking public servants known generally as Virtuous Schemers.

I would be not-at-all surprised if Phelge gets caught and faces harsh consequences for his/her/their acts.  I also know that the message Phelge conveys isn't unique to one voice.

This is a story in its infancy, about to link up to several other exciting, transformational changes in society. 

Stay tuned - it's about to get really interesting.