How to be a minister

I have recently been watching the Alan Clark Diaries on BBC2. Ho hum, a watchable programme on the BBC. Who would have thought that?

The thing that struck me about both the most recent episode and the one before that was how much work was involved. Clark (as played by John Hurt) was knackered. On a permanent basis. Life had ceased to be fun and he had become the prisoner of his civil servants: "men working 18 hours a day for the destruction of the British character" as I think he put it.

Although I am sceptical about government I do accept that if large parts of it are to be dismantled then someone has to be doing the dismantlinng. I sometimes imagine myself in that role. So, how would I go about avoiding Alan Clark's fate? Here's my plan:

1. State your aims. "My aim is to reduce the role of the state and expand the powers of the individual." Gives people something to work for. Means they know what they are supposed to be doing - even if they don't agree with it.

2. Be practical: "This cannot be done all at once. Therefore, I am looking for policies that will a) succeed and b) be seen to succeed."

3. Be realistic: "I am only good for 10 hours a week. That includes visits and time in parliament. Oh, and boxes. You will have to work around that. If that means things get delayed - tough."

4. Stop them in their tracks: "For everything that goes into my box there must be a note stating why it is my business and how we might change things so it will cease to be my business." That should give them something to think about. It will also make them think twice before putting anything into your box.

5. Don't let the media run your life. Keep your blog up to date.