Quangos, or quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations to give their full name, were back in the news this week as Cabinet Office Minister Francis Maude announced the coalition government was to abolish 192 of these quangos, merge another 118 and substantially reform a further 171.The ‘Bonfire of the Quangos’ as dubbed by many in the media despite the fact on closer inspection only a sprinkling will actually be abolished, it has also been described as a “smokescreen that will cost money”.
Nonetheless I cannot help but again put on my sceptical hat as this new government again embarks on the traditional 'economy drive' that has become custom soon after the arrival into government of the former Opposition.
In this vein I am constantly reminded of the glorious comedic references that feature in the classic episode of the same name in the ‘Yes, Minister’ TV series, such as this classic conversation between the Minister (Hacker) and his Permanent Secretary (Sir Humphrey):
Jim Hacker: "It's very popular with the voters, Humphrey. It gives them a chance to help us find ways to stop wasting government money."
Sir Humphrey: "The public doesn't know anything about wasting government money. We are the experts."
But it’s not as if the new Prime Minister David Cameron is himself unaware of the ‘Yes, Minister ’comparisons, as Paul Waugh notes referring to his ‘Living Within our Means’ speech in Birmingham in May 2008 where the Conservative leader said: "the efficiency drive is one of the oldest tricks in the book. Ministers are summoned, officials instructed, the media prepared for sweeping savings in running the costs of government.” Whoops.
But yet another ‘Yes, Minister’ reference occurred to me last night following journalist Max Hastings’ comments on the latest edition of BBC’s Question Time. The audience were noticeably muted (or speechless/indifferent) in reaction to his comments that the posts at the top of these Quangos are filled by the government’s major supporters once it is elected.
Still wearing my sceptical hat, I have no doubt such practices occur, but it again draws references to ‘Yes, Minister’ in particular to Series 1 Episode 7 entitled ‘Jobs for the Boys’ in which a retiring bank director is recommended to the top post in a Quango in return for saving the minister’s blushes.
But is the Quango-culling likely to save much money? Probably not. As Mr Hacker soon learns in the ‘Economy Drive’ episode, more often than not the cuts are hard to implement and so don’t happen in quite the fashion they were imagined.
