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Tag Archives: Civil Service
Do advisers advise while Ministers decide?
When questioned recently about the influence of one of his special advisers, the Secretary of State for Education, Michael Gove, replied with the well worn aphorism ‘advisers advise, Ministers decide’. In an interesting article in The Guardian this week, Fiona Millar examines the … Continue reading
Plus ça change: Ministers and Civil Servants
Under the energetic direction of the Cabinet Office Minister, Francis Maude, the current government is embarking on significant reform of the civil service. This may then be an appropriate moment to reflect on the experiences of previous Ministers in dealing with the … Continue reading
A message from GOD
An interesting speech by former Cabinet Secretary, Gus O’Donnell, (referred to by some in Whitehall as GOD) published in the latest edition of Political Quarterly, generated a certain amount of publicity this week. There were a number of thought provoking ideas … Continue reading