I am old enough to have seen, when first broadcast, and enjoyed Yes Minister, a comedy series of political satire. At the time when the programmes were popular I also bought the book, written by the authors of the series, Jonathan Lynn and Antony Jay, which I have now reread. The book is told as a series of diary entries by James Hacker, the minister in question, which have been found after his death. The authors also include reminiscences from his civil servant Bernard Woolley, extracts from government files, snippets from the newspapers, and transcripts of TV appearances. These are all used to tell the story of each TV episode as a chapter in the book and the format works very well.
You can’t, or at least I can’t, read this book without hearing the entries spoken in the voices of the actors who originally played these roles, and this enhances the book for me. I am sure that the satire is sufficient on its own, however, for anyone coming to this book fresh. The stories bring out the absurdities in the British system of government, and the tension between elected politicians and career civil servants.
It has to be said that, despite the years that have passed since this book was first published, the issues which are made fun of here seem to be very relevant in today’s political climate. The stories are highly amusing but also very pointed – it is satire at its best. The authors deal with corruption, how difficult it is to effect change, cost cutting, the EU, inebriated and indiscrete politicians, and tensions within the governing party.
If you were a fan of the series I think that you would very much enjoy this book. I need to move on now to the next book as Jim Hacker is elevated to the highest job in government.
Anne Is Reading 