YOU'VE GOT TO BREAK THE PERMAMENENT GOVERNMENT:

From Rolls-Royce to old banger: As more evidence of incompetence emerges, the government's reforms look too timid. The main problem remains chronic over-centralisation (David Simonds, Jan 11th 2007, The Economist)

BRITAIN'S civil service has often been lampooned, but the man in Whitehall who knew best did at least command a wary respect. Sir Humphrey Appleby, the wily permanent secretary at the top of the Department of Administrative Affairs, ran rings round James Hacker, the hapless politician in "Yes Minister", the 1980s television sitcom.

More and more, however, people are criticising civil servants for their incompetence rather than laughing at their cunning. Less than a year after John Reid, the home secretary, described the Home Office as "not fit for purpose", more bungling has come to light. The records of hundreds of British nationals convicted abroad of serious offences have not been put on a police database used to vet people who want to work with children or vulnerable adults. Ministers say they were unaware of this until January 9th, although senior police had written to Tony McNulty, the police minister, in October about difficulties in dealing with foreign convictions.

The Home Office's abysmal record is reflected across the wider public sector. The inadequacies of state schools were highlighted this week when it emerged that Ruth Kelly, a former education secretary, had decided to educate privately one of her children who has special needs.

These and other reverses have caused a fit of introspection among both politicians and senior civil servants. If so many good intentions backed by so much extra money under Labour have failed so dismally, maybe the cause lies within government itself.

The notion of insulating bureaucrats from political whims seemed noble enough at the time, but it insulated bureaucrats from taxpayers and everyone else in the process.

Posted by Orrin Judd at January 11, 2007 5:24 PM