[Sir Humphrey is not happy that Hacker has decided to move Dorothy Wainwright back into her old office, which was turned into a waiting room on Sir Humphrey's orders while she was away on holiday.]
JHJim Hacker
People can wait in the lobby or in the state rooms.
Some people, but some people must wait where other people cannot see the people who are waiting; and people who arrive before other people must wait where they cannot see the people who arrive after them being admitted before them; and people who come in from outside must wait where they cannot see the people from inside coming in to tell you what the people from outside have come to see you about; and people who arrive when you are with people they are not supposed to know you have seen must wait somewhere until the people who are not supposed to have seen you have seen you.
[Jim is trying to explain to Dorothy why he's changed his mind about moving her back to her old office]
JHJim Hacker
...That is, if people saw people coming, before people saw them seeing people, people would see people! The whole ship would go off the rails - you see?
Oh no, Prime Minister. "But me no buts" is circa 1820. Mrs. Centlivre used the phrase in 1708, but actually it was Scott's employment of it in The Antiquary in 1816 which made it fashionable.
It's about Humphrey. I wonder if he hasn't got rather too much on his plate.
FGSir Frank Gordon
Oh I'm sure he can manage. Tremendously able.
JHJim Hacker
You don't think he is overstretched?
FGSir Frank Gordon
Oh no, got it all under control. No problem there.
JHJim Hacker
I see, because I was wondering, speculating of course, about his position as the head of the civil service.
FGSir Frank Gordon
Ah...
JHJim Hacker
It could make some sense if everything were to be transferred to the Treasury if you think you could do part of Humphrey's job.
FGSir Frank Gordon
Oh... Yes, that could make a lot of sense.
JHJim Hacker
But if as you say he's not overstretched...
FGSir Frank Gordon
Ah, when I say not 'overstretched', I was of course talking in the sense of total cumulative loading taken globally, rather than in respect of certain individual and essentially anomalous responsibilities which are not, logically speaking, consonant or harmonious with the broad spectrum of intermeshing and inseparable functions and could indeed be said to place an excessive and supererogatory burden on the office when considered in relation to the comparatively exiguous advantages of their overall centralization.
Prime Minister, I must protest in the strongest possible terms my profound opposition to the newly instituted practice which imposes severe and intolerable restrictions upon the ingress and egress of senior members of the hierarchy and will, in all probability, should the current deplorable innovation be perpetuated, precipitate a constriction of the channels of communication, and culminate in a condition of organisational atrophy and administrative paralysis, which will render effectively impossible the coherent and co-ordinated discharge of the function of government within Her Majesty's United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland!
