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This conflict between the politicians (who are nominally
responsible for policy) and the permanent officials (who are
supposedly responsible for carrying out that policy) serves
as the central conflict of Yes Minister and Yes Prime Minister.
As one of Hacker's advisors says, it's "a clash between
the political will and the administrative won't."
The programme's portrayal of this relationship was so devastatingly
accurate that no less an expert than then-Prime Minister Margaret
Thatcher was a loyal viewer, even going so far as to co-write
and perform a brief sketch with the program's stars.
On Hacker's side are his loyal (and much smarter) wife Annie,
his political advisers Frank Weisel and Dorothy Wainwright,
and his Private Secretary, Bernard Woolley (as a Private Secretary,
he is expected to be loyal to his political master).
On Sir Humphrey's side are Cabinet Secretary Sir Arnold Robinson,
his fellow Permanent Secretaries, his friend Sir Desmond Glazebrook,
and Hacker's Private Secretary, Bernard Woolley (as a civil
servant, he is expected to be loyal to the Civil Service).
So who wins in the end? Well, as Sir Humphrey himself puts
it, "The only ends in administration are loose ends."
The two programmes were turned into two equally intelligent
and hilarious books, presented as Jim Hacker's diaries, leavened
with the recollections of others (available
from Amazon). Although some knowledge of the British political
system is helpful in picking up the program's nuances, it's
certainly not essential to enjoying it. Politicians and bureaucrats
are the same all over!
Both "Yes, Minister" and "Yes, Prime Minister"
are real sitcom treats which contain refreshingly intelligent
humour, something that was picked up in the 2004 BBC2 poll
as "Yes, Minister" was named by viewers as the 6th
best British sitcom ever - not bad going at all!
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