Yes Minister: An Unrealistically Accurate Show

From the left: Jim Hacker, Sir Humphrey Appleby, and Bernard Woolley. Image Source: BBC

Yes Minister is a show that never gets old: the characters, conversations, puns, and jokes are as relevant to politics today as they were 40 years ago. The writers have well-portrayed the self-serving nature of the civil servants, the narcissistic personalities of politicians, and the tussle for power between the two. The show is undoubtedly a masterpiece, but many people wonder if the writers exaggerated many aspects to amplify its comedic effect. There is no permanent friend and permanent foe in politics. This statement is true for governance and international relations too. Two parties work together as long as their goals align. The Chinese Communist Party and the Chinese Nationalist Party worked together against the Japanese invasion in 1937. Once the Japanese were defeated, the Communists resumed fighting against the Nationalists. This example shows how relationships in politics are often fragile and based on mutual interests. Yes Minister well represents this idea. Politicians and civil servants usually have different objectives, but they are dependent on each other to achieve them. So even if there are occasional rifts between politicians and civil servants in the real world, they have no choice but to work together. The politics among the civil servants is one aspect Yes Minister exaggerates or doesn’t present adequately. All civil servants on the show, except Bernard Woolley, seem to have a similar, sinister way of thinking. Moreover, all civil servants seem to fall in line with the cabinet secretary. Such depiction is an exaggeration. There are plenty of internal divorces and disaffections within the civil service — sometimes, even more than politicians. Also, actual politicians are not as gullible as Jim Hacker or the other ministers on the show. Leaders deal with numerous cunning, deceptive, and clever individuals in politics. It is not as easy to manipulate them as seen on the show. Civil servants, on the other hand, do not necessarily have much experience in people skills. So, for civil servants to have “politicians on a leash” is no easy task. Finally, the show dramatically diminishes the roles of political advisors. Political advisors are far more involved and influential than civil servants. Moreover, many political advisors also have a prominent role in the leader’s political party. So, civil servants often fear advisors more than they do the leaders themselves. So, even though Yes Minister is a brilliant show with witty dialogues and a captivating plot, some ideas are definitely overstressed. Nonetheless, the show does give an interesting perspective on the workings of the government.