The BBC's "Yes Minister" Is Everything You Need to Know about Government - Foundation for Economic Education - Bill Wirtz:
November 18, 2018 - "The British satire show Yes Minister was unique in its display of the inner workings of government. It's as up to date as ever.
"The series ... on BBC Two between 1980 and 1988 ... has in its core the characters of Jim Hacker (the minister), Sir Humphrey Appleby (permanent secretary), and Bernard Woolley (Hacker's principal private secretary). Hacker plays the role of minister of administrative affairs, making him responsible for the British civil service and any type of reforms deemed necessary for the inner workings of the government. He is what Americans would probably describe as a 'dork': he's unable to understand the intrigue of the civil service, optimistic about his actual power, and easily swayed........
"Sir Humphrey represents the civil service: he is stubborn and opinionated, and manages to protect his interests and those of the bureaucrats with ingenious wit and plot. Humphrey characteristically says 'Yes Minister' repeatedly, though he's clearly understood to mean 'No.' Bernard ... is easily broken by Sir Humphrey and ... is also used to parody the civil service: he constantly chips in with unnecessary knowledge....
"The questions Yes Minister asks are not impertinent: Are long-term appointments of top-class civil servants really a good idea?...
"In 2015, the United States employed a total of almost 22 million government employees in federal, state, and local government.... Civil servants aren't only employees; they are, in fact, employees who vote for their bosses in significant numbers. All of the 22 million government employees vote, and they are closely associated with people (in this case their own families) who share their financial interests. When politicians do not exchange civil servants as they take office, they can get stuck with hostile and powerful bureaucrats who lobby for their own interests....
"Yes Minister shows how fear-mongering and delay are among the civil service’s tactics to stay in power. In fact, Jim Hacker continuously gets confronted with the wrath of the Deep State as soon as he tries to reform any of it.....
"[I]n today's Britain, a show like Yes Minister would be unlikely to be produced. The BBC would be worried about offending people or even ... undermining public faith in the institutions of the country."
Read more: https://fee.org/articles/the-bbcs-yes-minister-is-everything-you-need-to-know-about-government/
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November 18, 2018 - "The British satire show Yes Minister was unique in its display of the inner workings of government. It's as up to date as ever.
"The series ... on BBC Two between 1980 and 1988 ... has in its core the characters of Jim Hacker (the minister), Sir Humphrey Appleby (permanent secretary), and Bernard Woolley (Hacker's principal private secretary). Hacker plays the role of minister of administrative affairs, making him responsible for the British civil service and any type of reforms deemed necessary for the inner workings of the government. He is what Americans would probably describe as a 'dork': he's unable to understand the intrigue of the civil service, optimistic about his actual power, and easily swayed........
"Sir Humphrey represents the civil service: he is stubborn and opinionated, and manages to protect his interests and those of the bureaucrats with ingenious wit and plot. Humphrey characteristically says 'Yes Minister' repeatedly, though he's clearly understood to mean 'No.' Bernard ... is easily broken by Sir Humphrey and ... is also used to parody the civil service: he constantly chips in with unnecessary knowledge....
"The questions Yes Minister asks are not impertinent: Are long-term appointments of top-class civil servants really a good idea?...
"In 2015, the United States employed a total of almost 22 million government employees in federal, state, and local government.... Civil servants aren't only employees; they are, in fact, employees who vote for their bosses in significant numbers. All of the 22 million government employees vote, and they are closely associated with people (in this case their own families) who share their financial interests. When politicians do not exchange civil servants as they take office, they can get stuck with hostile and powerful bureaucrats who lobby for their own interests....
"Yes Minister shows how fear-mongering and delay are among the civil service’s tactics to stay in power. In fact, Jim Hacker continuously gets confronted with the wrath of the Deep State as soon as he tries to reform any of it.....
"[I]n today's Britain, a show like Yes Minister would be unlikely to be produced. The BBC would be worried about offending people or even ... undermining public faith in the institutions of the country."
Read more: https://fee.org/articles/the-bbcs-yes-minister-is-everything-you-need-to-know-about-government/
'via Blog this'
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