Mail Online

Should the Civil Service be called The Blob?

IT’S often said we have the best Civil Service in the world. This must be a myth perpetuated by civil servants! In truth, they wouldn’t survive the cut and thrust of the real world, where decisions need to be made quickly and decisively to ensure outcomes are achieved within agreed timescales and budgets. Instead, the Civil Service is paralysed by its internal dogma. Too often there are unnecessary meetings, delays and a lack of common sense. We all laughed at Yes Minister, but it’s the Civil Service, nicknamed The Blob, who laugh at us. We need doers in key positions, not plodders; imaginative thinkers, not career ditherers; people who understand urgency, not those who want to cover all the bases before pressing ‘go’. Permanent Secretaries should be rotated in and out of the private sector where they have proved their ability to get the job done. Only then should they be rewarded with the customary knighthood, rather than for a career that’s long in years but short on achievements.

SIMON SMITH, Margate, Kent. We KeeP hearing about the Blob, but at least some civil servants adhere to high standards. the VAt official i once had to deal with looked like a 1950s headmistress. She was polite and pleasant as she requested my VAt records, company and private bank statements. i asked if she’d like a drink, biscuits, cake or fruit, which i had bought out of courtesy. She pronounced she would not be able to accept a beverage as it would be an inducement to corruption. Finally, she handed me a VAt demand— for 2p. So i took a coin out of my pocket and put it on the desk in front of her. She replied: ‘Sorry, i need a cheque as we are not permitted to accept cash.’ What a shame that standards in the Blob seem to have taken a drastic downward spiral.

BARRY DAVIES, Chorley, Lancs. I CAN just imagine the advert for a job in the Civil Service: ‘Vacancy for a well-paid and totally secure job with little chance of being dismissed. Excellent pension. No proof of competence required.’

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PETERBOROUGH | LETTERS

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2021-12-02T08:00:00.0000000Z

2021-12-02T08:00:00.0000000Z

https://mailonline.pressreader.com/article/282750590015332

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