Many Brexiteers seem to think that “Yes Minister” was a fly on the wall documentary. For them it perfectly explains how the perfidious Mandarins of Whitehall have stymied Brexit at every turn.
All you need to counteract this idea is to imagine the conversation between Lord Frost and his top civil servants last week. Lord Frost, who negotiated the very treaty line by line, has decided that the Northern Ireland Protocol is unworkable and that it needs drastic re-negotiation. He proposes to launch these talks by giving an exclusive interview to the Mail on Sunday, which highlights why the deal he negotiated is not working and demands that the EU fix it. Not only that but it blames the EU for implementing the rules he agreed to and then threatens to tear the whole thing up.
Any civil servant of the “Yes Minister” ilk would surely say “That’s a very courageous decision, Minister” and kill the idea with a raised eyebrow. But it didn’t happen, once again the UK is starting negotiations with bluster, a petty blame game and threats.
It is all the evidence you need that “Yes Minister” does not exist in reality and also it makes you wish Sir Humprey really was in charge.
https://jonty.substack.com/