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The Yes, Minister Files: Perspectives on British Government since 1914: Sources

Module description

This module uses the hit BBC comedies Yes, Minister and Yes, Prime Minister as a window on to the world of British government. The programmes were based to a considerable extent on insider information, and the course will explore some of the real life counterparts to things that happened in the series. The module will also show how Yes, Minister relates to other fictional representations of British politics. If you want to understand how Britain has been governed over the last century, this is the course for you.

Students on this course must also take the co-requisite module ‘The Yes, Minister files: Perspectives on British Government since 1914: Context’. Possession of a sense of humour is recommended but is not essential.

Module aims - intentions of the module

Sir Humphrey Appleby: Bernard, if the right people don’t have power, do you know what happens? The wrong people get it: politicians, councillors, ordinary voters!

Bernard Woolley: But aren’t they supposed to, in a democracy?

Sir Humphrey: This is a British democracy, Bernard!

The module introduces the sources for key concepts and events in British political and constitutional history in an accessible way, using case studies to explore themes in the development of the state. World War I saw an unprecedented growth in state power, and in spite of post-war attempts to roll this back, the welfare state, the warfare state, and the surveillance state continued to increase. The course considers the changing balance of power between elected politicians and Whitehall officials to consider how accurate its portrayal in Yes, Minister really is. It will also consider changing genres of political writing and fictional depictions of political life, asking what roles satire and drama play in constructing norms of political and bureaucratic behaviour. 

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 1. Identify the different types of sources available for the study of British political and constitutional history since 1914.
• 2. Analyse a range of diverse and complex sources relating to British politics and the role of the state since 1914
• 3. Describe and explain the changing culture of British politics and the role of the state since 1914

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 4. Analyse closely original sources and to assess their reliability as historical evidence.
• 5. Comprehend complex historical texts
• 6. Understand and deploy relevant historical terminology in a comprehensible and sophisticated manner.

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 7. Select, organise and analyse material for written work and oral presentations of different prescribed lengths and formats.
• 8. Present complex arguments orally
• 9. Present an argument in a written form in a clear and organised manner, with appropriate use of correct English
• 10. Through essay development process, demonstrate ability to reflect critically on your own work, to respond constructively to feedback, and to implement suggestions and improve work on this basis

Syllabus plan

Whilst the content may vary from year to year, it is envisioned that it will cover some or all of the following topics:
The module will introduce broad concepts in the development of the British state and relate these to specific case studies. It will also examine how such events have been represented in satire and fiction, using Yes, Minister as a point of entry. For example:

• Cuts and austerity: the Geddes Axe of 1922
• The British warfare state: Whitehall and rearmament in the 1930s
• Coping with scandal: the Profumo affair
• Political diaries and memoirs: the Crossman diaries affair
• Official secrecy and ‘the right to know’: the Spycatcher affair
• Failure in British government: the Poll Tax
• Public enquiries and Royal Commissions: the Hutton Report into the death of David Kelly

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Re-assessment notes

The re-assessment consists of a 4000 word portfolio of source work, as in the original assessment, but replaces the individual presentation with a written script that could be delivered in such a presentation and which is the equivalent of 25 minutes of speech (2,500 words).

Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.

Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 40%) you will be required to submit a further assessment as necessary. If you are successful on referral, your overall module mark will be capped at 40%.

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

• ELE – https://vle.exeter.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=4919
• http://www.cabinetsecretaries.com/ – interviews with former Cabinet Secretaries
• https://www.gov.uk/government/history/10-downing-street – history of 10 Downing Street website
• http://www.webarchive.org.uk/ukwa/target/102325 – the Hutton Enquiry website

Indicative learning resources - Other resources

• Fielding, Steven. A State of Play: British Politics on Screen, Stage and Page, from Anthony Trollope to The Thick of It (London, 2014).
• King, Anthony, and Ivor Crewe, The Blunders of Our Governments (London, 2013).
• Loughlin, Martin. The British Constitution: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford, 2013).
• Lynn, Jonathan, and Anthony Jay, The Complete Yes Minister: the Diaries of a Cabinet Minister, by the Right Hon. James Hacker, MP (London, 1984).
• MacQueen, Adam. The Prime Minister's Ironing Board and Other State Secrets: True Stories from the Government Archives (London, 2013).
• Winstone, Ruth (ed.), The Benn Diaries (single volume edition) (London, 1996).

Key words search

Politics, Government, Satire, Comedy, Modern Britain, State, Democracy