Paul Weller - Mark Thomas TV - William Armstrong - John Reith - Ernest Gowers - C H Sisson - Eugene Ionesco - Ken Livingstone - Carroll Quigley - James Garfield - Yochai Benkler - Lord Bancroft - Michael Cockerell TV - Yes Minister TV - Vladimir Lenin - Friedrich Engels - Predestination 2014 -
31,929. I don’t like the royal family. I don’t like the establishment. I don’t like the civil service. (Royal Family & Civil Service) Paul Weller
99,559. Give evidence at a Select Committee in the House of Commons … Public Bodies: Quangos: they’re looking at patronage … they’re looking at the appointments’ system. (Government & Civil Service & Honours & Committee) Mark Thomas Comedy Product s6e6
99,460. There’s about a 1,000 of them. There’s 30,000 people who sit on them … They’ve got budgets of billions … It’s like the Queen’s New Year’s Honours List … They’ve got more power than MPs … (Government & Civil Service & Honours & Committee) ibid.
99,461. They have the ‘Government Wine Committee’ … (Government & Civil Service & Honours & Committee) ibid.
67,227. The business of the civil service is the orderly management of decline. William Armstrong 1915-1980, British civil servant
67,228. By the time the civil servant has finished drafting a document to give effect to a principle, there may be little of the people left. John Reith, Into the Wind 1949
67,229. It is not easy nowadays to remember anything so contrary to all appearances as that officials are the servants of the public; and the official must try not to foster the illusion that it is the other way round. Ernest Gowers 1880-1966, British civil servant
67,230. Here lies a civil servant. He was civil
To everyone, and servant to the devil. C H Sisson, The London Zoo 1961
67,231. A civil servant doesn’t make jokes. Eugene Ionesco 1958
67,232. I actually think the civil service, who are the malignancy at the heart of public life, have consciously prevented, talked ministers out of, made it difficult regulatory-wise, to allow more pressure on alternative energy sources to grow. Ken Livingstone
67,235. The civil service are risk averse. Ken Livingstone
67,233. When the business interests ... pushed through the first installment of civil service reform in 1883, they expected that they would be able to control both political parties equally. Carroll Quigley
67,234. The civil service can never be placed on a satisfactory basis until it is regulated by law. James A Garfield
67,236. As long as government is allowed to collect all Internet data, the perceived exigency will drive honest civil servants to reach more broadly and deeply into our networked lives. (Civil Service & Internet) Yochai Benkler
68,468. Conviction politicians certainly, conviction civil servants no. (Conviction & Civil Servant) Lord Bancroft 1922-1996, British civil servant
38,601. This is the secret world of Whitehall: decisions taken here behind closed doors affect all our daily lives. (Government & Civil Service) Michael Cockerell, The Secret World of Whitehall 1/3: The Real Sir Humphrey
38,602. The Cabinet Secretary – the real-life Sir Humphrey from Yes, Prime Minister – pulls the invisible strings across Whitehall. (Government & Civil Service) ibid.
38,603. Lloyd George set up the first cabinet office. (Government & Civil Service) ibid.
38,604. No 70 Whitehall has a Victorian facade but it stands on the site of King Henry VIII’s old Whitehall Palace. (Government & Civil Service) ibid.
38,605. There’s another part of the Cabinet Office that remains off limits for security reasons. (Government & Civil Service) ibid.
38,606. Hunt and the government lost the case and the Crossman diaries were published. (Government & Civil Service) ibid.
38,607. Sir Robert Armstrong was a product of Eton, Oxford and the Treasury. (Government & Civil Service) ibid.
38,608. The Cabinet Office is the epicentre of British Intelligence. (Government & Civil Service) ibid.
38,609. Butler found Major to be the best negotiator he’d worked for. But it was a turbulent time. And Butler also had to deal with the very powerful figure of Michael Heseltine, who Major appointed to be his deputy prime minister. Hezza was to be based in the Cabinet Office with a brief that ranged across the whole of government. (Government & Civil Service) ibid.
38,610. Robin Butler fell out with Blair over the new prime minister’s plans to give No 10 much greater power and control over cabinet ministers. (Government & Civil Service) ibid.
38,611. ‘Sources close to the prime minister’ told the media that Tony Blair had lost confidence in his cabinet secretary. (Government & Civil Service) ibid.
38,623. The people who live in the dark – the special advisers. (Government & Civil Service) Michael Cockerell, The Secret World of Whitehall 3/3: The Network
38,624. It’s the civil servants who have always been and remain the beating heart of the private office network. (Government & Civil Service) ibid.
38,637. Humphrey, we have got to slim down the civil service. (Government & Civil Service) Yes, Minister: The Economy Drive s1e3, Jim to Sir Humphrey
38,638. Suppose everyone went around saving money irresponsibly all over the place? (Government & Civil Service) ibid. Sir Humphrey to Bernard
38,639. Government doesn’t stop just because the whole country’s been destroyed. (Government & Civil Service) Sir Humphrey to Jim, Weasel & Bernard
38,647. This has to be stopped at once. Well if he talks to the underlings he may learn things we don’t know. Our whole position could be undermined. (Government & Civil Service) Yes, Minister: The Right to Know s1e6, Sir Humphrey to Bernard
38,648. Don’t you realise what would happen if we allowed the minister to run the department? (Government & Civil Service & Minister) ibid.
38,649. Outside debate, public scrutiny – is that what you want? (Government & Civil Service) ibid.
38,651. On occasion there are some things it is better for a minister not to know. (Government & Civil Service & Minister) ibid.
38,652. You are not here to run this department. (Government & Civil Service & Minister) ibid.
38,654. You see if they have all the facts instead of just the options they might start thinking for themselves. (Government & Civil Service) ibid. civil servant to Bernard, with Sir Humphrey
38,656. Perhaps there are some things it is better for a minister not to know. (Government & Civil Servant & Minister) ibid. Sir Humphrey to Jim, with Bernard
38,701. Make them put more women into top civil service jobs. (Government & Civil Service) Yes, Minister: Equal Opportunities s3e1
38,702. Most of the work here only needs about two O-Levels anyway. (Government & Civil Service) ibid. Under Secretary Sarah to Jim
38,703. Jim: I have made a policy decision. I’m going to do something about the number of women in the civil service.
Sir Humphrey: Surely there aren’t that many? (Government & Civil Service) ibid.
38,704. I’m going to announce a quota. (Government & Civil Service) ibid. Jim to Sir Humphrey, with Bernard