Inside the System
Mike BarkerAn insider’s view on leadership, reform and delivery — focused on how public systems really work in local places.
| Platform |  | Pricing | Only free issues | Publishes | Daily |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Issues | 161 | Founded | a year ago | Last Issue | 7 days ago |
| Active | |||||
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mikebarker2.substack.comLatest Issues
I Think We’ve Forgotten How to Have a Saturday
I have a suspicion we’ve forgotten how to have a Saturday. Not everybody, obviously but somewhere along the way, even our time off seems to have acquired performance measures.
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Go for a run and there’s Strava.
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Go for a walk and cou...
The Things I’ve Stopped Believing About Public Service Reform
There’s something about this time of year that invites reflection. The days are getting shorter. The temperature is dropping. And as we head into what looks like a wet and stormy weekend, autumn suddenly feels as though it is beginning to g...
The Future Won’t Be Designed in Boardrooms
Thursday, October 22, 2026: Today I’m speaking at the Festival of Leadership. Coincidentally, a podcast conversation I recently recorded with the NHS North West Leadership Academy has also been released this morning.
As I listened back to...
Neighbourhoods Are Not a Structure. They Are a Different Way of Thinking
Tomorrow (Thursday, October 22, 2026) I’ll be speaking at the NHS North West Festival of Leadership, joining two workshop sessions focused on neighbourhoods, prevention, communities and anti-racist leadership.
The sessions will explore a...
The Return of Total Place
For most of my career, I’ve sat through discussions about public service reform.
Even with different governments, different ministers or different acronyms, the conversation is usually the same. Should this function sit nationally or local...
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Authors
The writers behind this newsletter.
Deputy Chief Executive in local government as well as NHS ICB Place Director. Writing about how the system really works in practice - candid, practical, grounded in delivery.
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