It’s easy to feel gloomy about the state of the world, so, alongside quietly prepping, I’ve been thinking about what I’d have done in my old job if I’d had to contend with the uncertainties caused by war in the Middle East – and the certainty of an oil crisis.
Back when I was deputy cabinet secretary, the question that often bothered me was: what hadn’t we done? What hadn’t we thought of? I never regretted the effort involved in anticipating problems and trying to make them smaller in advance. The first work to do when the winter floods were over was to get ready not to be in the same place the following year – which is why, mid-eurozone crisis, I had five banks for British holidaymakers ready to go on Greek islands. Not needed in the end, but ready nevertheless.
