Certain things in life are taken as read, Death, Taxes and the fact that this Government will lie to you.
Over the years those lies have become part of the norm, an accepted part of interaction with the Government. Since New Labour came to power in 1997 this country has been flooded with the numerous lies of Alistair Campbell and Peter Mandelson dressed up as spin.
A lie is a lie is a lie.
Now it seems that the Government has had enough of lying. At least they’ve had enough of telling their own lies and are now forcing members of our once great institution HM Civil Service to tell those lies on their behalf.
The rule is simple: A Civil Servant. A Public Servant. A Crown Servant. 3 names, 1 role. Serve the Government of the day in a non-partisan and unbiased way.
The Political pawns that are The Civil Service
In return the promise is simple:
A Civil Servant shall not be used as a Political pawn.
The Civil Servant is expected to execute their duties to the Government of the day with Political Neutrality.
Furthermore, The Civil Service has a long tradition, dating back to the reforms that followed from a devastating critique of Civil Service practices published in 1854 by the Northcote-Trevelyan Committee. The report commented that :
admission to the Civil Service is eagerly sought after…for the unambitious, the indolent or incapable…where they may obtain an honourable livelihood with little labour or risk
Since then, one of a number of guiding principles within The Service have remained unchanged (if not, perhaps, unchallenged) to this day. Amongst others: a largely career-based, “permanent” civil service giving honest, impartial and non-political (i.e. non-partisan) advice to the Government of whatever party happens to be in power.
Unchanged that is, until this Government became so bogged down with self importance and began to put its own Party agenda ahead of that of the country.
A good quote from Martin Sixsmith in yesterday’s Telegraph:
Nowadays Civil Service neutrality is no more than a distant memory.
Instead of providing impartial, factual information, official press releases are stuffed with tendentious party propaganda, massaged statistics and disinformation against political opponents
Sadly, this is all too true. It also seems that Sixsmith has long pondered the very subject of politicising Government communicators.
