My very first day in the UK National Archives, 20 years ago: a huge bewildering pile of papers written by Permanent Under-Secretaries, Assistant Scretaries, Department Heads &Ambassadors. I called my professor to ask for help. What was the system? Who did what? Him: “What do you mean, system?” - ThreadSky

helenebismarck.bsky.social • 74 days ago

My very first day in the UK National Archives, 20 years ago: a huge bewildering pile of papers written by Permanent Under-Secretaries, Assistant Scretaries, Department Heads &Ambassadors.
I called my professor to ask for help. What was the system? Who did what?
Him: “What do you mean, system?”

Reposted from Giles Wilkes

Looking forward to the @cathhaddon.bsky.social @instituteforgov.bsky.social explainer for what is a Parliamentary Secretary is Vs a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, and the trick to being both at once

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helenebismarck.bsky.social•74 days ago

The assistant secretary is far less powerful than the permanent under-secretary. Which is not logical but here we are.

konstrom.bsky.social•74 days ago

God Calls Me God?

sderrick.bsky.social•74 days ago

I’m sure there’s a Yes Minister scene that attempts to explain it all?

jembenson.bsky.social•74 days ago

The Under Secretaries sat between the Deputy Secretaries and Assistant Secretaries, and the Senior Principals were junior to all of them. All quite straightforward.

cjmckeon.bsky.social•74 days ago

To be fair, they are permanent, whereas the assistant secretary is, erm….temporary?

julianle.bsky.social•74 days ago

I don't see the problem. Sir Humphrey explained it very clearly here
https://youtu.be/G7Xgd7Cjm98?feature=shared

peterjohn.bsky.social•74 days ago

Simples.

fieldbean.bsky.social•74 days ago

Had to be one!

owejessen.de•74 days ago

"Do any of you type?"

andy-pearce.com•74 days ago

paulbivand.bsky.social•74 days ago

Documented in the Civil Service Yearbook (formerly Imperial Calender (not sure of spelling, but recall it was odd)).

jasonoflondon.bsky.social•74 days ago

Aren't they all Perm Secs except at the Foreign Office where the Perm Sec is PUS? Just rename that one and it is all resolved!

jamesbarr.bsky.social•74 days ago

A while back someone who worked there in the 1950s was able to explain the geography of the rooms (and the proximity of different people to the secretary of state). That was very useful in assessing the likely hierarchy of advice.

cathhaddon.bsky.social•74 days ago

Yes I forget what rank you had to be allowed to have a chair with arms.

paulb3964.bsky.social•74 days ago

When my dad worked for Customs and Excise many years ago, the ring binder files had 4 rings , but you had to be a certain grade (HEO or SEO, can’t recall which) to have a hole punch that punched 4 holes.

jv8p.bsky.social•74 days ago

At Shell in the 1960s my Dad was entitled to his own office with wall-to-wall carpet, but owing to room shortages had to share with a subordinate. When a better office came free & he moved out, a man in a brown coat came and trimmed 8" off the outside edges of the carpet for his colleague.

snoopster.bsky.social•74 days ago

I remember being told in the old DfE building, 30+ years ago, there was a carpet quota based on grade and proximity to windows as well.

martymcd.bsky.social•74 days ago

There's a simple workaround for this using a 'two hole' punch: do the central two as normal and then use them as a guide to do the upper and lower ones using the same punch!

firetower.bsky.social•74 days ago

Same when I worked for P&O.

jamesbarr.bsky.social•74 days ago

Superb

historyherring.bsky.social•74 days ago

LOL!! “What do you mean system?”

johnkittmer.bsky.social•74 days ago

At the end of a very long policy-into-legislation project in the mid-1990s, I was tasked with pulling together all the relevant submissions and decisions into a proper timeline for the future record and for future policy. It was a gruelling task. A system there was, but it was belied by the filing!

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