Normal Service Resumes

[caddyman]

Now that the US election is over for another 18 months or so, we can look forward, I hope, to getting back to business as usual and deploring the state of the world and humanity in general and any one of dozens of pet annoyances in particular.

When all is said and done, the question of who governs a country is pretty esoteric. Unless the government is bent on radical reform,there is little beyond semantics to distinguish them. Even radical reform is only noticeable in certain areas. Other than being intellectually messy and operationally lazy, Labour's so-called constitutional reforms in the UK have made very little day-to-day difference for most people. The Scots, Welsh and Northern Irish now have additional tiers of government to pay for and complain about, but on a daily basis, what has changed? Similarly, at a National level, the 'I'll sort it out one day' approach to Lords' reform has stalled at a point that focusses more power and patronage in the hands of the Prime Minister, so don't hold your breath on that one. But then that has little if any day to day impact upon Fred Bloggs now, does it?

No, we're all buffeted by forces beyond our control, including politicians. The only difference is that they do it on telly and in the newspapers, like celebrities, but without the moral authority.

Ah, cynicism my old friend. You're back and you're well.

Comments

[romney.livejournal.com]

So speaks the layer of unelected government called the Civil Service.
It's actually a comfort to know that so much of the responsibility for running the country resides with a set of basically decent people who drink tea, watch telly, and enjoy a nite in the pub.

[caddyman.livejournal.com]

An elected civil service. Interesting notion, but we're not government. Elect us and we might suddenly be able claima mandate and become one, though.

It's our job to crew the Ship of State and work out how to get it from A to B as best as possible. Your elected representatives are the ones who say what colour the paint job will be and what direction we sail in.

It will have been a member of the layer of unelected government called the Civil Service that came up with the mountainous package that helped stop the democratically accountable banking sector from properly shivving the economy as much as it liked. So you probably owe your job to him or her for now at least.

[romney.livejournal.com]

And very happy I am too, despite the fact that the Bank is big enough to have not needed to flip the Taxpayers Penny.
I always feel that the Civil Service is, in most circumstances, able to to the necessary the useful and the proper despite the decorative and navgational failings of their Masters.

[fencingsculptor.livejournal.com]

Just occaisionally we have a plank that can mounted over the side of the vessel too...

You know....should the need arise.

[romney.livejournal.com]

How about issuing Letters of Marque to the Civil Service departments of another country to let them implement troublesome legislation?

[anubisgrrl.livejournal.com]

I used to think very similarly, but 8 years of the current administration has had a definate and negative effect on my day to day life and that of others. I am surprised that one person, or one administration could do so much damage, but it really can. I felt this year that my vote choice was vital to the future, which is the first time I have truly felt that way.

[pauln.livejournal.com]

I'd say the capacity for an administration to do so much damage is higher in your system. The checks and balances seem to me to be all in the various parts of the electoral system and the political appointments that those elected can make Presidents of whatever political persuasion appointing Supreme Court Justices who agree with their politics comes to mind, along with political appointments to head the various government departments.

Over here, it's a lot harder for ministers to overcome the inertia of the Civil Service. That can have it's drawbacks as well of course.

[davidt3001.livejournal.com]

Not under normal circumstances; Bush and Cheyney were exceptionally mendacious. There's a summary from a very irked neo-con here:

http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2008/11/barack-obama-fo.html

Of course they also had the benefit of both the Senate and Congress being solidly Christian-right nutter for the first six years of their misrule ...