Thinking and doing

There has been some discussion among leading Tories about the consequences of the politicisation of the Civil Service. It included some pessimistic estimates of how long an incoming Conservative Government would need to restore it to its traditional neutrality and efficiency. It has been so infiltrated with Labour Party die hards, especially at the senior end, and so much under the direction of Labour Party functionaries, that it has become generally demoralised and subverted.

In order to consider how to rectify the situation it is necessary to ask how this has come about.

- Targets have reduced highly qualified civil servants to monitors and collectors of statistics. The number has expanded greatly but only to fill the bureaucratic needs for pen pushers.

- Decisions have been made on the sofa at number 10, without experienced advice on implementation. Experienced senior civil servants have been by-passed or ignored.

- Huge numbers of new acts have tinkered with existing acts or created new ones barely compatible with old ones. If there has been consternation at the level of school or hospital, then there has been overwork where all the paper is produced. Very often the new laws have been produced to catch voters' eyes, and subsequently not used.

- Highly paid consultants, including many who have Labour Party connections, have resulted in vast expense and under use of able and experienced civil servants.

So where would you start to clear out the stables?

- Perhaps involving recently retired civil servants, on a temporary basis.

- Giving more freedom to schools, hospitals and local authorities, as well as reducing the legislative burden and making few tinkering adjustments on a regular basis.

- Using the skills and experience of the civil service, and slowly restoring its political neutrality.

- Generally doing all to avoid the "elective dictatorship" which has grown over decades but accelerated in the last 10 years.

- Sorting out, before getting into office, a (limited) programme of intended bills and measures.