‘GOD’s’ coming replacement with a civil service ‘Trinity’ is a further sign that policy making is becoming even more divorced from its implementation

Sir Gus O’Donnell was unique for his interest in the ‘sharp end’ of policy-making. As the outgoing Head of the Civil Service is set to be replaced by a triumvirate of a ‘policy’ man and two ‘policy implementers,’ Colin Talbot argues that the new arrangement reflects Whitehall’s obsession with policy-making and is likely to backfire as policy continues to be made without considering the nuts and bolts of how to make policy work.