The line-up at to-day's Select Committee were distinguished Civil Service mandarins.
One was born in 1923 and was Permanent Secretary to the Treasury from 1974 to 1983. That's Sir Douglas Wass. The other witnesses were the venerable Lord Butler and Lord Armstrong both Cabinet Secretaries and heads of the Civil Service in Thatcher's days.
We were questioning them about the Government decision to divide Gus O'Donell's job into three jobs. The three mandarins were wearily more-or-less well disposed about the decisions. They have seen everything. Their instincts to agree with the political masters commands is deeply ingrained.
They all have kept up with recent trends in their long retirements. But there are signs of aging. When I questioned one about evidence he gave to the Nolan Committee, he confessed, 'I don't remember giving evidence to the Nolan Committee.'
The job splitting is part of the eternal rhythm of political change. First it's localism, then centralism then localism again. Horses are marched up the hill, then marched down. One job is split into three and later joined into one.
To prove the point I quoted New Zealand. They have three jobs covering the role of Gus O'Donnell present jobs. They are about to unite the jobs into one. Exactly the reveres of the Government's plan.
Hard-pressed Civil Servants who are being asked to do more than one job will not be best pleased to hear that the top job is being divided into three.
More Chiefs and Fewer Indians.
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