Sir Humphrey, he's very worried that he seems responsible for something that he can't change.
Yes, I'm sure. Responsibility without power: the prerogative of the eunuch throughout the ages.
“The National Education Service” · Season 2, Episode 7
In this episode: Sir Humphrey Appleby (4), James Hacker (4), Bernard Woolley (1)
I think education is extremely important. It could lose me the next election.
Ah! In my naivety, I thought you were concerned about the future of our children.
Yes, that too. After all, they get the vote at 18.
[reading from a list of quiz questions] Maths has become politicized - "If it costs 5 billion pounds a year to maintain Britain's nuclear defenses, and 75 pounds a year to feed a starving African child, how many African children could be saved from starvation if the Ministry of Defense abandoned nuclear weapons?"
That's easy, none. They'd spend it all on conventional weapons.
Education in this country is a disaster. We're supposed to be preparing children for a working life. Three-quarters of the time, they're bored stiff!
Well, I should have thought that being bored stiff for three-quarters of the time was an excellent preparation for working life.
The school leaving age was raised to 16 so they could learn more, and they're learning less.
We didn't raise it to enable them to learn more, we raised it to keep teenagers off the job market and hold down the unemployment figures.
Are you saying there's nothing wrong with education in this country?
No, of course not Prime Minister, it's a joke! It's always been a joke! And as long as your leave it in the hands of the local councillors, it will remain a joke. I mean, half of them are your enemies anyway, and the other half are the sort of friends who make you prefer your enemies.
Well, what are you saying?
I'm saying that education will never get any better as long as it's subject to all that tomfoolery in the town halls. I mean, just imagine what would happen if you put defense in the hands of the local authorities.
Defense?
Yes, give the local councils 100 million each and ask them to defend themselves. We wouldn't have to worry about the Russians, we'd have a civil war in three weeks!
Better than Channel 4 coverage. They didn't describe it as the PM's tour of the north-west. They said, "Jim Hacker touring the marginal constituencies."
AAnnie
That's true, isn't it?
But they shouldn't say it. It's biased reporting!
AAnnie
Reporting the facts?
Nothing wrong with visiting the marginals.
AAnnie
What they said was still true.
It was still biased to say it!
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