Yes Minister

 When Antony Jay first had the idea of showing off what really happens up top, I wrote to him and said. " You realize that this exposure will make it even harder for us to do our job! While it's awfully fun serious to come home to see this on the TV, the fact is , that he will watch it too and can be expected to make our jobs much harder. The rest of this note is fiction but in his long letter back to me, the wonderful Antony did address the dilemmas of telling the truth in that context.  His letter is better than any award or recognition I could have received for quietly doing my public service job for over 3 decades.  "I mean Hacker will be alerted that he is really dumb and doesn't really know what he is doing. Far better perhaps to have him think he is God, without him realizing that he is not? KCMG   GCMG and all that !! Hacker is always at his worst when he learns/sees the next step out of kindergarten. Even after tutoring him many times in baby steps, it ...

 If you the leader want to really feel at home in politics, remind yourself to not expect too much 1. If you are wise, you will take advice from me, ( I feed you) 2. If you are really wise,  you will always come back to me ( I need to spoon feed you )  3.If you are really really wise with the press and the the public,  you need to spoon feed them with stuff i spoon feed you. Taken from the Emperors Academy guide for all wannabes of whatever age .  By Sir Humphrey

   Rowan     How can a party that allows a shallow inexperienced ideologue like Malcolm Turnbull become Prime Minister / I thought they were tougher than that  Mache  : It's what all parties have to do to appeal to the margins. Have a nice looking bloke who talks simplicities but knows nothing and can be pushed around when the election is over, when realism takes over again .   Rowan   So how did all these other wolves in sheep clothing get into the party?(Rebels who resisted the adoption of the religious Discrimination Bill 10th Feb 2022 )  Haven't the left got the numbers to do what they like ? Why do these people who think themselves progressive have to work amongst conservatives ?  Mache    yes they have numbers , but they don't have the intellectual grip.   They don't really know what they wanna do . The people can sometimes smell a dead end like they have with the Greens and their other worldly agendas...

Rohan       Conservative party advisor to the PM   The talk is that you have failed in your duty to provide leadership for the country in a crisis.  Instead of grabbing the opportunity to lead under the security powers of the constitution  ( like you can use for Biosecurity issues)   you have let the Shires do there own thing , You let the locked down closet bureau run that dumb easy precautionary principle PP  to the point where no-one leaves home and no-one takes any risks . ( except party faithful)  their method works --but its not right and not real world management .  Children's class , They have bee n doing this for decades.  Bern    it just stops the bureau and the bosses from  being accused  of being careless . That's whose interests the PP is protecting. The fact that most people in the meeting have no real experience of managing a crisis doesn't change the governments view that" it kno...

Scene    PM Secretary's office   Bernard    Some times I think it would be better if I said nothing . This bloke is so desperate for ideas and so prone to runoff half cocked that I think it would be better if I never gave him any direction whatsoever . Once he gets some simple something in his  head, he runs off with it . Next thing we are untangling him from the fence .   SirH Exactly ..  That is why we must manage every moment of his life . He won't have time to think of anything but what we have told him .In a more effective world , we should be aiming to change his mind but even that looks and is on the edge of impossible .  Bern but this boring stuff is NOW my life  .We are in the midst of the important, but lost in games . I don't want to hang around till he gets an idea . It  means we have to be here and around him just to make sure he doesn't just quickly  get ideas and try to move on them.    SirH...

 Only human beings could be so far into denial that they think they are talking to the truth when then they are in complete denial of it , Net Zero carbon dioxide emissions is not only impossible, its uneccesary ,What is heartberaking is the lengths the public purse will be stretched to try accomodate the nonsense of soil sequestration and alternative energy storage theories amngst othersin the 20page ads last weeks .The targets on show are EMPTY Guilt driven cul de sacs that cost our children their freedom to invest  . Glascow shows that  our own government have no idea of what  is possible and until they listen to those who know how the world can best work , no Western power will take our children from the impasse we have made it to a sound future of sistainability that is still within our grasp .  No more false hopes please . Other countries won't wander around in the dark despair like our current leaders do .  If you should dare to want to know more,...

 Sir Humphrey and Bernard aplogise for not being here today . The truth is they are sick of telling you the public whate you should have known and done something about decades ago . Not that we will ever get rid comepletely of wannabes who would drown in their own  mess if they had to pay for it .  Good luc to all truth tellers  - whateverthe cost  .  make sure you watch real history too   " The french revolution - the greatest documentary ever ." Netflix-- based on Cartlye's account 

If  you want a brief summary of the science start here  Hacker  I have to be the first to solve the problem here OR I am not interested.  I personally will get on my horse and chase the nasty virus down and lick it.  You will help , the people will help and I thank them  (See "How to become a Tyrant "on Netflix ) I am sick of hearing people make estimates and talk numbers  but we all know they are just guessing . Nobody knows who is going to die so  I will assume all could die.  I am a leader and I will lead  Cameraman   He just gets lost with numbers --full stop  Hacker  Lets aim at Zero . Like we have done with everything else   Zero growth, Zero emissions, zero cases . People only get confused if you keep talking numbers . We are purists here !  Evil is evil and we will exorcise it !  Cameraman    As religious as anybody in previous ages  Bernard   Feb 2020  But cas...

Since the Yes Minister show on BBC,  Sir Humphrey has become much much harder to spot . Everyone  thinks they know where and who he is . Few really know  Thankfully as a parasite and a purveyor of poosh data,  he needs something to feed on and so he's often around food.  Around paper is  often where you find him  If music be the food of love ignore it --he's into pedantry not poetry.  SOME BASICS He ean eat you alive . Be warned;  Sir Humphrey can be very nice,  even when you cross him. Infact he gets you in,  He mostly listens when he is with you or someone else . People like about him he appears to listen and like a cat, doesn't talk much .      The nature of his relationships with the real world  .Its always wise to remember that we are unlikely to have many friends , What we forget , but he knows is that with all the backslapping ,  there maybe little truth telling and ...... who needs to be popul...

Bernards ramblings  12th June 2019 You need a good laugh ? Don't we all . Nothing has changed what was dangerous evil and threatening is still dangerous evil and threatening , And our warning systems are no better . If someone tells you not to worry , worry . just don't follow those who like Skimpole are never close enough to see the problem in person But we have Dickens  My favorite of the moment is Little Dorrit -  save the world from those who have a job with no real  responsibility  but to invent new jobs and to add to the pile of paper and petty pedantry with paper . The Skimpole's of this  world who would hide their inability to make decisions (AND not  be economically productive) n cynicism , petty point scoring  and innovation - inventing their next questions . Who will win?   Questions of the heart  or questions of the mind ?     Note to Chris Richardson and the press ...

Bern   Since watching that great series on The Crown and Line of duty,   I have  been thinking about your precis of what those titles mean for people we should respect ;    KCMG . GMG  and all that Sir H    Well ,,as you well know , they refer to objects of worship .   The greatest danger of course is that  the person to whom honor is given  takes that honor  holy to himself ; the person thinks they are God . for example GCMG  where he thinks God calls me God. Best boy ( to himself ) So Dostoevsky was right ; if leaders /wannabes don't believe in God,  they become God.  Bern   I've been writing about that since they sacked us all and put their own golden cloth salesmen in   The people, being more sensible than wannabes,  like heavenly minded.,  but the new religions wannabes attempt to convince themselves,  not only that they don't have a religion ( giving them ...

8 minutes to oblivion ? Yes its so appealing to  everyone to appeal to the future - so easy it makes wannabes smile. ;   except that if you promise it and you don't really know whats possible,  you join the dreamers . And the dreamers are doing plenty of that at the moment , Proclaiming natural evolution , automatic progress and th e wonders of new technology ( eg Battery power this week ) is one those false faith things that gets both parties into BIG Trouble  They don"t have any Sir Humphreys to remind them, that even when they have good ideas , it is not their place to know things.  Imagine what a mess Burke would make on the environment .  Even Friedenberg seems to be getting ahead of himself too just as Hunt has done before in these matters of faith . For those who know ions , there is NO immediate breakthrough in storing KW on the horizon Step back and show some humility I

(Thinking bits in italics ) Minister : Yes   I do-- everybody does. so what else about climate change do you want to know ?  He's thinking   The correct answer is that I am not here to tell you what I think ------but what the party thinks I f you were to ask me ---whether I believe that AGW is changing the climate my answer is  I don't know ............ Normal now but never stated Interviewer What would you do to stop climate change ? Min     Exactly what the opposition says they are going to do----- only we would do it  better . The opposition don't know what to do either . By me drawing attention to them they will be forced to dream up some new scheme which stinks with the credibility of  quick fix desperation. tokenism ,big industry bashing  and skating on ice superficiality  Interviewer  thinking to herself  --The numbers of people who are worried that we...

PM   I don't know why all the fuss. I've offered to reduce the red tape . SirH  I think they don't trust you mam . You or Penny need to say directly  what you are going  to do about the situation . You gave the impression, until tweets arrived, that you didn't realize that duplication was the norm. Such duplication has to be justified if its not to jeopardize your accountability and your credibility . PM   Did my mention of marine parks and biodiversity legislation increase my credibility ? SirH  No, few investors on land or sea can get anything done because Greenlabor insists on control of both. PM Should I have mentioned the Carbon Tax ? Cameraman ( to himself) Do you want war? Everyone knows but you that the paperwork will drive people mad!  SirH  They are trying to be nice mam . You and Wong have to be joking . The current situation is outta control NOW - what will 1000's of pages of speculation on "how to "and reporting...

Bern : You have become famous ...again Sir H   (Jonathan Lyn's Play in Melbourne this week ) SirH  ; What I want to know is who is featured most;  HIM or ME Bern : Don't you want to know HOW you are being portrayed ? SirH   No No No . I know myself well enough and Anthony Jay knows me well enough . I just think Jonathan might not get the balance of power quite right. I have a feeling that like the public, the subtle balance of respect for knowledge has been overtaken by silly respect for raw power . Hacker: You mean to say you didn't have much power ... what a laugh . Bern: A bit like Tony Hodges and Cabinet might be struggling emotionally with a lack of real power ? Sir H    Yes  Bernard , unlike you, they get too involved emotionally. Our job is to observe. There are enough people running around here with their heads in the clouds and their feet running up a wall or 2  ; Our job is to try and introduce objectivity  by sitting on ...

Prime minister Gillard  and former Prime Minister Rudd hug and kiss on the floor of Parliament yesterday,  as do many others after the vote to establish a Carbon Tax is passed.(Wednesday  12th October 2011) PM Gillard talks of grabbing the future with both hands. The main apparent difference between Gillard and Peter Costello's "Future fund" is that the Greenlabor have nailed "the future "to the wall   Reducing carbon dioxide , or so they say . Mind you the Act will  set up a completely new taxation administration division to manage it. New game, New rules  and after spending Costello's future fund , they not only intend to grow their own fund , they appear to leave the rules of this new authority to administer for themselves Very hands off .  Our reporter Maximus is on the scene . We wondered how Sir Humphrey would like this new world order where Governments grabs the wheel every so often and then  hands it back...

Bern : How do you think Julia is going? Sir H   She is obviously very , very clever . Labor caucus too are very clever--If they do anything well they can move fast . Who else could introduce a tax without that tax hurting anyone you know . Only the big sinners of all time will suffer - the big bogeymen of big business . Bern  But won't a few Labor people see through this old lie and this superficial simplicity about economics?. Sir H  No..... provided she holds her nerve,  the use of fossil fuels will fall in 10 years ( economic factors ) and she has the prospect of being known ( superficially) as one of the most capable courageous polys ever .( should she pull it off) Bern But that fall in use levels will have nothing to do with a carbon tax Sir H   That's.. why its a brilliant strategy. She wins , we think we win .  Great intentions, great impressions Bern Only takes a few people to tell the truth though , to make the people realise they are ...

We can't let Julia go . The TV series would have been the drama of the decade - so real , so scary,  so painful .Hamlet without the blood - nothing better than vicarious engagement for entertainment. If only the ABC could get it , they would produce something honest and engaging instead of  reactionary predictable and lilley puddlian loud wars on everything .

Bern  Do you think Julia  is being a bit simple ----thinking the people just need a few facts on the carbon tax ?  Our Prime Minister  wears out her shoes to explain new taxes and failed policies  .  SirH   Of course Bernard You know new leaders always think they know.  Doesn't matter which party . The difference in Australia in 2011 is that....... I'm not there now and you're not there now either . Bern And the bloke that is there ---- was so many rungs down when I left , I didn't even know who he was Sir H   He probably knew he wasn't up to the job ( reached his level of incompetence a lot lower on the ladder ) at the time . Bern    So what option has he got --he would realise noone else seemed to know more than he did , wanted the job , or could say yes in quite the right way,  plus , he was impressed/ overwhelmed  with the offer and honor  .Where angels fear to tread . SirH  ...

The unbelievers have had a hard month . First we get a hung parliament ( which gives power to the truth ) and now,  we have a hung grand final ( which gives power to the unpredictable ) .The wannabes  may talk about paradigm change,  but the reality is ; they are not driving it , it's driving them  !   The hung ( sometimes keeping their place on the ladder is all they know )  think they are in charge,  ........but someone else more knowledgable clearly is.   All the certainties of the overly comfortable have been undermined.  How are Humphrey , His mentor (Sirif)  and Bern coping with all this ? Bern  Finally ....we have a leader SirH  They worry , BUT what about us . We normally know exactly what's going to happen, and just as much at election time,  as any .  We  know that whatever their brilliance, whichever Party they are ...  Whoever...