Latest news with #consensus
BreakingNews.ie
19-07-2025
- Politics
- BreakingNews.ie
Starmer holds ‘constructive' call with Taoiseach on Troubles legacy plans
Sir Keir Starmer stressed the importance of 'consensus' in handling the legacy of the Troubles as he spoke to Taoiseach Micheál Martin on Friday. In a phone call with Taoiseach Micheál Martin, the UK prime minister had what Downing Street described as a 'constructive discussion' on dealing with the legacy of the 30-year conflict in Northern Ireland. Advertisement A Number 10 spokesperson said the two men had 'underscored the importance of a way forward that built consensus', before turning to economic issues and the UK-EU relationship. Mr Martin himself echoed Downing Street's comments, tweeting that he had had a 'constructive discussion with British PM Keir Starmer today on a framework for dealing with legacy'. The call came as Mr Starmer faces pressure from some of his own backbenchers over plans to repeal and replace legislation passed by the previous government that halted investigations into all but the most serious allegations involving Troubles-related cases. Downing Street and the Taoiseach described the conversation as 'constructive' (Peter Byrne/PA) The Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act has been criticised by human rights campaigners for granting conditional immunity to suspects. Advertisement That provision was ruled incompatible with human rights laws by the Northern Irish courts, prompting Labour to commit to replacing legislation it described as 'flawed and failed'. But that proposal has brought condemnation from former British soldiers who fear it will open the way to vexatious prosecutions and civil claims. Opponents are also reported to include some Labour MPs, including veterans minister Al Carns. A former Royal Marine and special forces officer, Mr Carns was reported by The Times to be considering resigning over plans to repeal the Legacy Act. Advertisement But earlier in the week, Downing Street said the UK government was 'working in lockstep' on the issue. A UK Ministry of Defence source also played down the prospect of Mr Carns quitting, but told the PA news agency it was a 'tricky issue' and 'when you are making policy there is always going to be debate internally'.
The Independent
18-07-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Starmer holds ‘constructive' call with Taoiseach on Troubles legacy plans
Sir Keir Starmer stressed the importance of 'consensus' in handling the legacy of the Troubles as he spoke to his Irish counterpart on Friday. In a phone call with Taoiseach Micheal Martin, the Prime Minister had what Downing Street described as a 'constructive discussion' on dealing with the legacy of the 30-year conflict in Northern Ireland. A Number 10 spokesperson said the two men had 'underscored the importance of a way forward that built consensus', before turning to economic issues and the UK-EU relationship. Mr Martin himself echoed Downing Street's comments, tweeting that he had had a 'constructive discussion with British PM Keir Starmer today on a framework for dealing with legacy'. The call came as Sir Keir faces pressure from some of his own backbenchers over plans to repeal and replace legislation passed by the previous government that halted investigations into all but the most serious allegations involving Troubles-related cases. The Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act has been criticised by human rights campaigners for granting conditional immunity to suspects. That provision was ruled incompatible with human rights laws by the Northern Irish courts, prompting Labour to commit to replacing legislation it described as 'flawed and failed'. But that proposal has brought condemnation from former British soldiers who fear it will open the way to vexatious prosecutions and civil claims. Opponents are also reported to include some Labour MPs, including veterans minister Al Carns. A former Royal Marine and special forces officer, Mr Carns was reported by The Times to be considering resigning over plans to repeal the Legacy Act. But earlier in the week, Downing Street said the Government was 'working in lockstep' on the issue. A Ministry of Defence source also played down the prospect of Mr Carns quitting, but told the PA news agency it was a 'tricky issue' and 'when you are making policy there is always going to be debate internally'.
Yahoo
18-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Starmer holds ‘constructive' call with Taoiseach on Troubles legacy plans
Sir Keir Starmer stressed the importance of 'consensus' in handling the legacy of the Troubles as he spoke to his Irish counterpart on Friday. In a phone call with Taoiseach Micheal Martin, the Prime Minister had what Downing Street described as a 'constructive discussion' on dealing with the legacy of the 30-year conflict in Northern Ireland. A Number 10 spokesperson said the two men had 'underscored the importance of a way forward that built consensus', before turning to economic issues and the UK-EU relationship. Mr Martin himself echoed Downing Street's comments, tweeting that he had had a 'constructive discussion with British PM Keir Starmer today on a framework for dealing with legacy'. The call came as Sir Keir faces pressure from some of his own backbenchers over plans to repeal and replace legislation passed by the previous government that halted investigations into all but the most serious allegations involving Troubles-related cases. The Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act has been criticised by human rights campaigners for granting conditional immunity to suspects. That provision was ruled incompatible with human rights laws by the Northern Irish courts, prompting Labour to commit to replacing legislation it described as 'flawed and failed'. But that proposal has brought condemnation from former British soldiers who fear it will open the way to vexatious prosecutions and civil claims. Opponents are also reported to include some Labour MPs, including veterans minister Al Carns. A former Royal Marine and special forces officer, Mr Carns was reported by The Times to be considering resigning over plans to repeal the Legacy Act. But earlier in the week, Downing Street said the Government was 'working in lockstep' on the issue. A Ministry of Defence source also played down the prospect of Mr Carns quitting, but told the PA news agency it was a 'tricky issue' and 'when you are making policy there is always going to be debate internally'.
Bloomberg
17-07-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
G-20 Nearing Deal on Communique, South Africa Finance Chief Says
By and Ntando Thukwana Save South African Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana said the Group of 20 advanced economies are nearing a deal on a communiqué. 'We are closer to a making a deal and achieving a consensus that will emerge as a communiqué tomorrow,' Godongwana said in a Bloomberg Television interview Thursday on the sidelines of a G-20 meeting in the eastern coastal province of KwaZulu-Natal. 'I suspect there will be a communiqué.'
Forbes
26-06-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Business Decision Making At Scale: Why Everyone Can't Have A Say In Everything
In a small, highly aligned team, collective decision making can be efficient. But as an organization scales up, consensus-driven business decision making becomes a bottleneck. In the modern workforce, consensus is treated as a virtue. We hire smart people, we value collaboration, and we want to respect everyone's voice. So naturally, every decision should be made with complete alignment, right? Wrong. This kind of business decision making puts your organization at risk of careening off the rails like a runaway train—or, just as bad, of stalling on the tracks completely. There are a few issues with an 'all-in' approach to decisions in business. First, there's the 'yes man' risk. When buy-in is too broad, there's a good chance that it isn't legitimate. Does everyone actually agree, or are they just feeling the pressure to agree? Then there's the question of efficiency. When every decision requires a council vote, you're liable to get bogged down, foundering in choices without ever picking one. Group decision making can be especially damaging for organizations trying to grow. Consensus works—until it doesn't. In a small, highly aligned team, collective decision making can be efficient. But as an organization scales up (or if genuine alignment was never built in the first place), consensus-driven decision making becomes a bottleneck, eroding agility and grinding progress to a halt. This doesn't mean you need to run an autocracy instead of a democracy. There are ways to invite opinions without allowing them to overwhelm you. Business Decision Making Shouldn't Halt Progress Organizations that scale successfully aren't the ones that chase perfect consensus—they're the ones that build clarity, trust, and empowered execution. Here's what effective decision making can look like, even as your organization grows: The point of these measures is not to rush business decision making—a danger McKinsey identifies as being inherent to doing business in 'the age of urgency.' It's simply about streamlining the process and ensuring that valuable input doesn't become a roadblock to progress. Avoid the N-Factor and Allow for Exponential Growth In math, N is infinite, with 'N' referring to the natural set of numbers we know—unlimited and promising to stretch on and on. In organizational decision making, the N-factor promises only disaster. The strategies above allow organizations to maintain momentum even as they scale, which is essential to progress. Because if you're stuck in a never-ending decision loop, you aren't growing—you're just running in circles, a toy train on a circular track that goes nowhere.
