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The Sunday Times - Step aside, Sir Humphrey, by Katharine Raymond (a former government special adviser)

Britain puts college lecturers, lawyers and former trade union officials in charge of multi-billion-pound operations that dwarf in scale and complexity most FTSE 100 companies. Then we expect them to cope. If a headhunting firm were to offer the CV of most members of the cabinet or shadow cabinet to a FTSE 100 company looking for a chief executive, it would be laughed out of the room.

That’s exactly what I’ve been saying!

There are more than 560,000 civil servants, many clever and hard working. But the system has become a bureaucratic barricade, too often standing between the will of elected politicians and the voters. This climate of obstruction tempts politicians to be expedient, short term and self-interested. Worse, ministers are shuffled so often that politics is like a never-ending reality TV show in which the principal concern is to avoid expulsion from the set.

This merry-go-round compares unfavourably with the United States, where cabinet secretaries are appointed for their expertise and usually serve at least a four-year term. Britain’s eternal reshuffles make it difficult for ministers to develop commanding knowledge.

Why can’t each secretary of state appoint a world-class expert to work alongside him or her? A permanent secretary with real knowledge, managerial skill and experience at making radical change would support not only individual ministers but also entire departments.