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This book is the official history of British Cabinet Secretaries, the most senior civil servant in UK government, from the post-war period up to 2002.
List of contents
1. To make Ministers appear more competent than they could possibly be
2. The Craftsman - Sir Norman Brook 1947-62
3. The Mandarins’ Mandarin - Sir Burke Trend 1963-73
4. Iron fist in Velvet Glove - Sir John Hunt 1973-79
5. The Ultimate Courtier - Sir Robert Armstrong 1980-87
6. Captain of the First XI - Sir Robin Butler 1987-97
7. Mission Impossible - Sir Richard Wilson 1998-2002
About the author
Ian Beesley served in the Cabinet Office, H.M. Treasury and 10 Downing Street, where he was Head of the Efficiency Unit under Margaret Thatcher, and he has a PhD in History from Queen Mary University of London.
Summary
This book is the official history of British Cabinet Secretaries, the most senior civil servant in UK government, from the post-war period up to 2002.
Additional text
'Ian Beesley has had unprecedented access to the files of half-a-dozen of Whitehall's ultimate men of secrets, the Cabinet Secretaries -- the powerful yet elusive figures at the elbows of successive prime ministers. His pages brim with knowledge of who they were, how they did their job and all set in the wider political context of their time in office. Anyone interested in how British government works will learn heaps from this book.’--Peter Hennessy,Attlee Professor of Contemporary British History at Queen Mary, University of London
'In preparing the authorised biography of Margaret Thatcher, I have been struck by how much modern Prime Ministers owe to the Cabinet Secretary of the day. Yet the public know very little about these people, what they do, and how much good government depends upon their wisdom and cool judgment. Now, thanks to this book, with its full use of official records, we all have the chance to find out.’-- Charles Moore, author of Margaret Thatcher: The Authorised Biography
'In the 100-year existence of the Cabinet Office there have been just 11 Cabinet Secretaries and little is known about their role, styles and influence. That gap has now been filled by this detailed account of the post-war years to 2002.’ --Gus O’Donnell, Cabinet Secretary, 2005-11
'Beesley ends with a fascinating counterfactual. Would Richard Wilson’s influence have grown rather than shrunk if he had accepted Blair’s offer to head a combined Downing Street and cabinet office team? Yes it would. In fact I’d go further. If he had said ‘yes’, I think the country and the civil service would have been better off.'--Ferdinand Mount, The Spectator
'the [book] a mighty 700 pages covering the six men who held the post between 1947 and 2002, is packed with the kind of detail that will be invaluable to anyone interested in the history of Whitehall.'-Sue Cameron, Prospect magazine
