Yes Minister Quotes
2006-08-07 07:36 AM | Posted by Tejvan Pettinger | Permanent Link | British Comedies
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I am enjoying watching the 1980s BBC comedy series Yes Minister. It is about how politicians get frustrated by clever civil servants. It is a clever satire on the political life. Even though the civil service are scheming you have to admire their cleverness. Apparently Mrs Thatcher ( PM in 1980s) was a big fan.
Quotes - Yes Minister
"Politicians must be allowed to panic. They need activity. It is their substitute for achievement."
"Civil Service language: 'Sometimes one is forced to consider the possibility that affairs are being conducted in a manner which, all things being considered and making all possible allowances is, not to put too fine a point on it, perhaps not entirely straightforward.
Translation: 'You are lying'."
Bernard Woolley: "Minister, allow me to present Sir Humphrey Appleby, Permanent Under Secretary of State and head of the DAA."
Jim Hacker: "Hello, Sir Humphrey."
Sir Humphrey: "Hello and welcome."
Bernard Woolley: "I believe you know each other."
Sir Humphrey: "Yes, we did cross swords when the Minister gave me a grilling over the estimates in the Public Accounts Committee."
Jim Hacker: "I wouldn't say that."
Sir Humphrey: "You came up with all of the questions I hoped nobody would ask."
Jim Hacker: "Well, opposition is about asking awkward questions."
Sir Humphrey: "And government is about not answering them."
Jim Hacker: "Well, you answered all mine anyway."
Sir Humphrey: "I'm glad you thought so, Minister."
"Why should we close a hospital because it has no patients? We don't disband the Army just because there isn't a war."
"It is unthinkable that politicians should be allowed to remove civil servants on grounds of incompetence. Of course some civil servants are incompetent but not incompetent enough for a politician to notice. And if civil servants could remove politicians on grounds of incompetence it would empty the House of Commons, remove the Cabinet, and be the end of democracy and the beginning of responsible government."
"Politicians are like children; you can't just give them what they want - it only encourages them."
"Any unwelcome initiative from a minister can be delayed until after the next election by the Civil Service 12-stage delaying process:
1. Informal discussions
2. Draft proposal
3. Preliminary study
4. Discussion document
5. In-depth study
6. Revised proposal
7. Policy statement
8. Strategy proposal
9. Discussion of strategy
10. Implementation plan circulated
11. Revised implementation plans
12. Cabinet agreement"
"'The matter is under consideration' means we have lost the file. 'The matter is under active consideration' means we are trying to find the file."
Yes Minister DVD's
Yes Minister DVDat Amazon.co.uk
Yes Minister DVDat Amazon.com
