The Complete Yes Prime Minister

Title: The Complete Yes Prime Minister

Author: Jonathan Lynn and Antony Jay

Publisher: BBC Books, 2001 (First published 1986)

ISBN: 0-563-20773-6

Pages: 488

‘Yes Prime Minister’ was a very popular political satire aired by the BBC between 1986 and 1988. Written by Antony Jay and Jonathan Lynn, it was a sequel to the program ‘Yes Minister’ transmitted between 1980 and 1984. Set in the Cabinet office of Jim Hacker, the ‘Prime Minister’ in the story, it humorously relates his struggles to formulate legislation which were poised to help the country get over difficult times and equally defiant struggle by the Civil Service to block anything which has the potential to change the status-quo. Jim Hacker, played by Paul Eddington is assisted by his Cabinet Secretary Sir Humphrey Appleby (played by Nigel Hawthorne), his Principal Private Secretary Bernard Woolley (played by Derek Fowlds) and several lesser characters. This sitcom which was an out and out critic of the British administrative system has won several awards and was voted sixth in the Britain’s Best Sitcom poll. It is said that it was the favourite television programme of the then British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

Jim Hacker is quite unexpectedly elevated to Number Ten, when the present incumbent decides to quit in order to pave the way for his successor. The political struggle which ensued saw two men fighting for the top post, but who had very unfavourable remarks about them with the Intelligence Bureau, which, if exposed would have led to serious embarrassment for the party and the government. Hacker is selected as the consensus candidate. Right from the beginning, his assistants, Sir Humphrey and Woolley try to block any move which would seem threatening, even in the mildest way, to the Civil Service. Having no experience with the intricacies of the internal working of Civil Service, Hacker often falls prey to the machinations of the bureaucrats. The encounters and meetings between the principal characters of the play offer hilarious moments for the reader. Sir Humphrey, who is an expert in getting what he intended even against the wishes of his boss, the Prime Minister is a quintessential Civil Servant. With his encyclopedic knowledge of the channels of communication between various departments, he often plays one against the other to get at what he wanted. Having no compunction or dedication to what is good or moral, he rides like a juggernaut with full control of what Hacker is up to.

The contrasting ideals of the characters are noteworthy. Being a politician, or despite of, Hacker often comes up with innovative solutions to the nation’s problems, whereas the civil servants genuinely believe that they only know what is best for the country and the others are not trained or qualified to govern it. For them, democracy is only an evil they have to live with – an occupational hazard at the worst! Most of Sir Humphrey’s actions are motivated by his wish to maintain the prestige, power and authority he enjoys.

The book is full of thoroughly entertaining comments, repartee and asides between the protagonists. Sir Humphrey and Woolley are the masters of word play, though it often ends in Hacker being utterly confused about the meaning of what his subordinates had just said. Some witty remarks found in the text are,

a)      So long as there is anything to be gained by saying nothing, it is always better to say nothing than anything.

b)      Never believe anything until it is officially denied.

c)      We have a system of government with the engine of a lawn-mower and the brakes of a Rolls-Royce.

d)      (In a discussion) facts complicate things

e)      The history of the world is the triumph of the heartless over the mindless

f)        He (Jim Hacker) raised the average age of the Cabinet, but lowered the average IQ

g)      If you want to get into the Cabinet, learn how to speak. If you want to stay in the Cabinet, learn how to keep your mouth shut

h)      Never speak when you are angry. If you do, you’ll make the best speech you’ll ever regret

In their never-ending pursuit of self-serving methods, the bureaucracy holds nothing sacred and we find them forever willing to change the official minutes (records of meeting) if it suits them. Sir Humphrey justifies it as, “While it is true that the minutes are indeed an authoritative record of the Committee’s deliberations, it is nevertheless undeniable that a deliberate attempt at comprehensive delineation of every contribution and interpolation would necessitate an unjustifiable elaboration and wearisome extension of the documentation” (p.288). Jim Hacker finally acknowledges that there is nothing much he could do against the established prejudice that is the civil service. Hacker says, “Suddenly I saw, with a real clarity that I’d never enjoyed before, that although I might win occasional policy victory, or make some reforms, or be indulged with a few scraps from the table, nothing fundamental was ever ever going to change” (p.488).

The book is highly recommended.

Rating: 4 Star