The fictional character of Sir Humphrey Appleby, played by the late Sir Nigel Hawthorne, in the popular satires "Yes, Minister" and "Yes Prime Minister" has stood the test of time since the first broadcast back in 1980.
The Sunday Times has published an extract "Brown v Whitehall: the coming battle" from the book "Gordon Brown Prime Minister" by Tom Bower.
The pusillanimous surrender of supposedly top Civil Service mandarins, when faced by the authoritarian control frekery of Gordon Brown and his cabal, does makes one pine for a competent and devious Sir Humphrey Appleby, who might be able to protect us from the worst excesses of the new Unelected Prime Minister in Waiting Gordon Brown and his NuLabour cronies and apparatchiki.
It does not appear from this extract that Sir Gus O'Donnel, the present Cabinet Secretary. is up to the task:
O’Donnell’s friends and admirers use one word to describe his attitude: “obsequiousness”. Smart, analytical and outgoing he has the talent of giving the impression of going along with the flow and making friends. Unlike most civil servants he is good company and a passionate football fan. Adroitly he co-authored with Balls in 2002 an economic textbook, Reforming Britain’s Financial Policy, with a foreword by Brown. In crossing the line between politicians and the allegedly unbiased civil service O’Donnell helped his career by displaying his Labour sympathies; but his credentials to restore impartiality in Whitehall were not enhanced.Friends insist that, as in the Equitable Life saga, he will take a stand if required. But there are doubts about his technical abilities. O’Donnell mas-terminded the merger of the Inland Revenue with Customs and Excise, predicting efficiency savings under the chairmanship of an accomplished business executive, David Varney of O2. The reality was different. Lacking any cost analysis or plan the merger has not saved money. After being battered by a Commons committee for computer failures Varney resigned.
In the light of that expensive failure and his desire not to “rock the boat” most will find the idea of O’Donnell’s guiding the chancellor to change a lifetime’s habits unlikely
Gordon Brown's penchant for media spin and micro-management meddling, and refusal to listen to critical advice, bodes ill for our country.
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