6 ms·

"Jim Hacker: We got to give him something, I promised. Sir Humphrey: Well, what is he interested in? Does he watch television? Jim Hacker: He hasn't even got

"Jim Hacker: We got to give him something, I promised. Sir Humphrey: Well, what is he interested in? Does he watch television? Jim Hacker: He hasn't even got a set. Sir Humphrey: Fine, make him a Governor of the BBC." -- Yes, Prime Minister

umichguy 8y ago
Fantastic Yes PM reference. Kudos! Honestly, that series has a reference for pretty much most scenarios, politics or otherwise, even today, especially these days. What a show.
- cm2187 8y ago
  It was a fantastic tv show, written by insiders. One of the few shows about politics where you can actually learn something. And I have been told real stories from french ministries that mirror exactly what the show depicts in british ministries.
  - mnw21cam 8y ago
    I think remember once the BBC news (TV) went into a story saying "We'll just show you this clip from Yes Prime Minister. Well, this just happened."
  - umichguy 8y ago
    It would've been perfect for what's going in recent times with Brexit and what not. It was one of the first Brit TV series I got into.
mnw21cam 8y ago
Jim Hacker: Ministers are not experts. They are chosen expressedly because they know nothing.
- taneq 8y ago
  Ha-Ha-Only-Serious response: I've actually been told that ministers are explicitly selected to portfolios that they know nothing about so that they an be an impartial filter for the people working in that area. You don't choose an Information Minister because they're an IT guru, you choose them because they have no knowledge of the subject (and hence no personal preference or bias) and they will just go with whatever the actual experts working 'below' them say.
  - m0skit0 8y ago
    - Then why not directly make one of those experts actually the Minister? - What if 2 "below" experts have 2 different opinions? Is the Minister supposed to choose randomly?
    - wpietri 8y ago
      My understanding is that in a parliamentary system, ministers are selected from parliament. (The US equivalent would be something like making a rule where every cabinet secretary had to also be an elected member of the House of Representatives.) So the expert would have to first run for parliament and be elected.
      - icebraining 8y ago
        In the parliamentary system here, only the Prime Minister is selected from parliament. The other ministers are selected by the PM, and don't have to be (and usually aren't) members of parliament.
      - m0skit0 8y ago
        In all parliamentary systems I know (Spain, France, Morocco) ministers do not have to be selected from the parliament. Parliament is legislative while ministers are executive.
        wpietri 8y ago
atmosx 8y ago
Most epic political series ever made. Unfortunately for the rest of us, it is the most accurate too.

umichguy 8y ago

Fantastic Yes PM reference. Kudos! Honestly, that series has a reference for pretty much most scenarios, politics or otherwise, even today, especially these days. What a show.

cm2187 8y ago
It was a fantastic tv show, written by insiders. One of the few shows about politics where you can actually learn something. And I have been told real stories from french ministries that mirror exactly what the show depicts in british ministries.
- mnw21cam 8y ago
  I think remember once the BBC news (TV) went into a story saying "We'll just show you this clip from Yes Prime Minister. Well, this just happened."
- umichguy 8y ago
  It would've been perfect for what's going in recent times with Brexit and what not. It was one of the first Brit TV series I got into.

mnw21cam 8y ago

Jim Hacker: Ministers are not experts. They are chosen expressedly because they know nothing.

taneq 8y ago
Ha-Ha-Only-Serious response: I've actually been told that ministers are explicitly selected to portfolios that they know nothing about so that they an be an impartial filter for the people working in that area. You don't choose an Information Minister because they're an IT guru, you choose them because they have no knowledge of the subject (and hence no personal preference or bias) and they will just go with whatever the actual experts working 'below' them say.
- m0skit0 8y ago
  - Then why not directly make one of those experts actually the Minister? - What if 2 "below" experts have 2 different opinions? Is the Minister supposed to choose randomly?
  - wpietri 8y ago
    My understanding is that in a parliamentary system, ministers are selected from parliament. (The US equivalent would be something like making a rule where every cabinet secretary had to also be an elected member of the House of Representatives.) So the expert would have to first run for parliament and be elected.
    - icebraining 8y ago
      In the parliamentary system here, only the Prime Minister is selected from parliament. The other ministers are selected by the PM, and don't have to be (and usually aren't) members of parliament.
    - m0skit0 8y ago
      In all parliamentary systems I know (Spain, France, Morocco) ministers do not have to be selected from the parliament. Parliament is legislative while ministers are executive.
      - wpietri 8y ago

atmosx 8y ago

Most epic political series ever made. Unfortunately for the rest of us, it is the most accurate too.