Too many Sir Humphreys in Civil Service
AFTER 40-odd, very odd, years in and around the Civil Service I recognise Freddie Forsyth’s portrayal (“Civil Service reform? Yes, Prime Minister”, July 10).
The bureaucracy runs on the nodding dog principle, where conformity and acquiescence maintain the status quo, stifling original thought, personal initiative or any deviation from its profligate practices.
Personnel management is an alien concept, avoided by shunting defective clones sideways or upwards but never out. Maybe mandarins’ annual appraisals should include watching episodes of Yes, Prime Minister before writing their personal action plan, hopefully avoiding conforming to stereotypes. Possibly, maybe.
Den Harding, Poulton-le-Fylde, Lancs