Ministers often feel they are accountable for everything that goes on in their department, but responsible for nothing. Government departments can have thousands, or tens of thousands, of staff. They are big, complex organisations. They get it right every day and people barely notice. Tax is collected, benefits paid, borders secured, military supported and prisons managed. But when it goes wrong, it’s often ministers who are in the firing line.
It's tough being a minister, particularly in an age of 24/7 media. The reasons things go wrong are often complex. The civil service cannot — and should not — be exempt from criticism and accountability, but civil servants are in a unique position where they are unable to defend themselves — they are barred from speaking publicly to the press without a minister’s consent. Civil servants give ministers their best evidence-based, professional advice. When a minister makes a decision, even if that goes against that advice, a civil servant’s job is to get on and implement it.
