It is a sobering thought that no civil servant under the age of about 35 has gone through a change of government on the job (though many will have experienced more than their fair share of changes of minister, logos, department …).
And only those in their 50s can have experienced two changes of government. In that sense the Eighties, Nineties & Noughties have been remarkably stable.
An earlier generation simply got out the file of rules for a change of government, just in case, in 1964, 1966, 1970, 1974 (twice), 1979 & 1983.
Of course for the majority of civil servants a change of government has little effect on the work, in the short term. Unsurprisingly. The expenditure of some 40% (in normal times) of our national income has to be administered; it cannot just all change overnight.
