Just one bite and you know the Wolf is real

About 20 years ago Anthony Jay and I discussed the consequences of  putting a mirror up to politicians and top public servants - letting the world see what really goes on . While it was woosy and weak even then, the wolf seemed far away. Now the wolf is at the door,  and we don't quite know just why . Conflict has become cocontenation. Tension no longer keeps us taught, but  teaches our kids to keep sliding instead  
 As Jay and Lyn  have shown with their  latest show, the consequences of exposure are even more scary than we thought. Both groups still want more power , but noone,  it seems has the same wisdom . The quieter sources of solid advice have gone silent while the urgent loud voices drive Prime Ministers mad. Bernard would rather not be there now , and neither would I .
Neither of us, it seems , could have anticipated just  how woosy and onesided  it would all become .
Without leadership from below,  both parties would be stuck in the a suck it and see sort of  mess that they are in now. Neither of us could do much about egos out of control in politics,but we both know that we used to able to advise those in power. Influence them . Now "good advice"  is falsely seen to be something you only get, if you pay people for it . "Paying people peanuts " talk was to easy when everybody turns out to be in the same family of hairy beasts. The lesson should have been that we need each other - not that we were better than each other .

The great danger for the people is not that our leaders think they know ( that's always an ongoing risk ) but that the public service thinks they know too .( copyright EA6Feb2012)