Like a pub singer calling out the band, David Cameron named some of the senior Tories who’d get a job in his government during his speech last week. Iain Duncan Smith on lead guitar, Osborne on rhythm. Pickles on drums.

Those not lucky enough to get a shout-out will sweat a bit longer, waiting for the call to find out which department they get to liberate. But with the expected names came a nod to an idea that’s becoming more and more fashionable: ‘Governments of All the Talent’ (GOATs) when he named Richard Dannett as a security advisor. It was a smart move at a time when the Army is highly politicised. It helps Cameron demonstrate his commitment to the forces, and spread the talent available to him beyond the narrow (and inexperienced) pool of Tory front-benchers.

He won’t be the first to draft in outsiders. As if aware of public loathing, politicians have started turning to figures beyond Westminster to act as ministers, advisors, tsars and chiefs. Brown started it. When he took the throne his much-trumpeted GOAT included Mark Malloch Brown (of UN superstardom), Digby Jones (of CBI, er, renown), and Lord Dazi, a NHS surgeon. This has since been followed by Martha Lane Fox to advise on digital inclusion and now Alan Sugar, possibly to teach Brown how to fire people.

Now Cameron has followed suit. Alongside Dannett they have announced that Richard Thaler, author of ‘Nudge’, and Tom Steinberg, web evangelist and founder of MySociety, will act as advisors. Thaler, who is a member of the Demos advisory Council, will coach them on ‘nudging’ people to behave better. Steinberg, presumably, will explain how the internet can fix everything.

This is all a great idea. As the Economist recently argued, competent administrators and leaders are hard to come by, and not always cut from the same cloth as our redoubtable MPs. Dannett is a good example, he has that rare thing: relevant experience. There are worries that he is too partisan, but he at least knows a lot about defence and has the trust of the army. As MPs get younger and younger, widening the pool of talent and experience for senior government jobs can only be a good thing.

If anything, Cameron should go further than a few ornamental advisors and shake up the way departments are run. The success of figures like US Defence Secretary Robert Gates – kept on after the last election – shows that expert administrators can build up experience and transcend partisan politics. Concern about elected ministers could be soothed with proper accountability on appointments and performance. This is infinitely better than the department getting half a minister and constituents getting half an MP. As long as the people running departments answer to democratically elected MPs, who cares whether they represent a constituency? All that matters is they are good at their job and achieve the goals set by the government. Strengthen Parliamentary oversight and Select Committees and who knows, government might even work better.

The problem is that ministerial posts, and peerages, are still the way for an embattled PM to bestow patronage and elevate his or her allies. So instead of strengthening accountability at the top the Government, in its haste to draft in competent bosses, hands out peerages to ‘GOATees’ like Lords Sugar, Dazi, Malloch Brown, Mandelson etc. This is the opposite of the accountable leaders we need. The surest way to make sure a politician never answers to anybody anywhere near the public ever is to stow them in the Lords, where you stay for life.

The plan is to ennoble Dannett. If he wants to show forward thinking and political courage, Cameron should resist this undemocratic habit and make his Cabinet more like a boardroom. Maybe Alan could help...

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