SlapDash Britain - Episode 1

Britain was once regarded as the best-run in the world, but not any more. Contemporary historian Dominic Sandbrook asks if we are now becoming a country that can no longer deliver; are we turning into SlapDash Britain? He examines what has changed with senior civil servants and political advisers from the heart of government, such as Robin Butler, former head of the Civil Service, economic adviser Sir Christopher Foster,Tony Blair's former Chief of Staff Jonathan Powell, creator of Yes Minister Anthony Jay, former ambassador Ivor Roberts, public servants Sir David Omand and Anthony Mayer and professor Anthony King. They give their candid assessments of what has changed. Was there ever a golden age of "Rolls Royce government"? What are the long-term consequences of Mrs Thatcher's style of running things? And, in striving too hard to deliver, did Blair's "sofa government "actually make things worse? Despite endless government initiatives, are we any better governed today? With pertinent archive and candid interviews Dominic Sandbrook asks the key players and their critics what is going on. Producer: Glynn Jones A Jolt production for BBC Radio 4.