Are you a nightmare to work for?' Raab asked by BBC
In his first broadcast interview since his quitting as deputy PM, Domimic Raab told the BBC's Chris Mason the only complaints upheld against him were by "a handful of very senior officials", out of hundreds of civil servants he had dealt with.
Asked if the blunt truth was that he was a nightmare to work for, the Mr Raab hit out at a "small minority of very activist civil servants".
"What you've got is the risk here a very small minority of very activist civil servants, with a passive aggressive culture of the civil service, who don't like some of the reforms, whether it's Brexit, whether it's parole reform, whether it's human rights reform, effectively trying to block government - that's not on. That's not democratic."
Mrs H and I were chatting about this issue today. Between us we have many decades of public sector experience and are both inclined to believe Raab rather than those who appear to have ousted him via concerted power-moaning.
4 comments:
If there is a mental disability which makes it impossible to tell the truth and concentrate on common-sense ideas, then the civil service will have recruited members of that vulnerable minority, and run courses celebrating the condition, and set up self-help groups within every department
Everywhere else, liars eventually get exposed and sacked. What better place for them to gravitate to than an organisation where they cannot be challenged because of the doctrine of individual ministerial responsibility?
Sam - yes, it's time there was a degree of transparency when ministers run into difficulties with officials. If they can simply get rid of a minister who puts them under pressure then there is no point voting for the party with the best policies. Not that there is much point anyway, but how much of that is down to obstructive officials?
If Raab had bullied beginners he'd deserve a skelping. If all he did was express impatience with the ways of Sir Humphrey he deserves a medal.
dearieme - I assume Raab had no direct contact or reason to demand anything from beginners, but a crafty Sir Humphrey might arrange it.
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