A new GOD
NEVER mind the recently departed defence secretary, Liam Fox—that defenestration was only a matter of time. What is really exercising the custodians of Leviathan in Whitehall this week is the impact of GOD's demise: the early retirement, that is, of Sir Gus O'Donnell, head of the domestic civil service, and his replacement by a trusted Number 10 civil servant. The anointment of Jeremy Heywood signals a major shift in what the prime minister wants from his officials. See “Goodbye to GOD” in the Britain section for further details of that job-swap.
Some commentators see this as yet more centralisation.