It’s all change at the top of the government’s support organisation but how will the new civil service boss define himself?
Sadly, it probably won’t matter because he has an evocative name. If he is overly supportive of the government, Chris Wormald will be ‘Wormtongue’; if negative, he’ll be ‘The Worm That Turned’.
The first name will be familiar to many from Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, while the second was initially from a proverb used to describe a person or group who rebels after suffering a prolonged period of mistreatment. This Writer is familiar with it from a (now ancient but well-loved) Two Ronnies serial of the same name.
Mr Wormald seems firmly in the former camp at the moment, having been head of the Department of Health and Social Care during the Covid-19 pandemic, who defended the department’s response in evidence to the official inquiry into it.
You can learn more about his appointment here, and find out about his background here.
Buy Cruel Britannia in print here. Buy the Cruel Britannia ebook here. Or just click on the image!
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How will the new civil service boss define himself?
It’s all change at the top of the government’s support organisation but how will the new civil service boss define himself?
Sadly, it probably won’t matter because he has an evocative name. If he is overly supportive of the government, Chris Wormald will be ‘Wormtongue’; if negative, he’ll be ‘The Worm That Turned’.
The first name will be familiar to many from Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, while the second was initially from a proverb used to describe a person or group who rebels after suffering a prolonged period of mistreatment. This Writer is familiar with it from a (now ancient but well-loved) Two Ronnies serial of the same name.
Mr Wormald seems firmly in the former camp at the moment, having been head of the Department of Health and Social Care during the Covid-19 pandemic, who defended the department’s response in evidence to the official inquiry into it.
You can learn more about his appointment here, and find out about his background here.
Buy Cruel Britannia in print here. Buy the Cruel Britannia ebook here. Or just click on the image!
Vox Political needs your help!
If you want to support this site
(but don’t want to give your money to advertisers)
you can make a one-off donation here:
Be among the first to know what’s going on! Here are the ways to manage it:
1) Register with us by clicking on ‘Subscribe’ (bottom right of the home page). You can then receive notifications of every new article that is posted here.
2) Follow VP on Twitter @VoxPolitical
3) Like the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/VoxPolitical/
Join the Vox Political Facebook page.
4) You could even make Vox Political your homepage at http://voxpoliticalonline.com
5) Follow Vox Political writer Mike Sivier on BlueSky
6) Join the MeWe page at https://mewe.com/p-front/voxpolitical
7) Feel free to comment!
And do share with your family and friends – so they don’t miss out!
If you have appreciated this article, don’t forget to share it using the buttons at the bottom of this page. Politics is about everybody – so let’s try to get everybody involved!
Buy Vox Political books so we can continue
fighting for the facts.
Cruel Britannia is available
in either print or eBook format here:
The Livingstone Presumption is available
in either print or eBook format here:
Health Warning: Government! is now available
in either print or eBook format here:
The first collection, Strong Words and Hard Times,
is still available in either print or eBook format here:
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