In February 1974, a frustrated Ted Heath, unable to achieve anything in government against constant opposition by the mighty trade unions, called an election. One basic question was front and centre of the campaign: ‘Who governs Britain?’ Soon the answer came back: ‘Not you, mate.’ In fact, it would take Margaret Thatcher’s victory to clip the power of the unions – but only after enormous political and economic risks were taken.

With the collapse of public infrastructure, a lingering sense of decline, and Britain looking embarrassed (and embarrassing) on the world stage, comparisons to the 1970s abound today. Another similarity is the presence of an all-powerful caste. This time, however, it isn’t the unions but the consultant management class – the lanyardistas – holding national life in its grip.

You know the sort: they tend to have completely baffling job titles but are paid more than those who do the actual work. They self-identify as ‘stakeholders’, ‘change enablers’ and ‘directors of strategic transformation’. They use endless consultations, HR, compulsory training and a ceaseless stream of jargon to baffle Britain into a situation where they hold all the levers. Very little challenges their dominance.

This is not just occurring in Wernham Hogg-style offices in industrial estates in the Home Counties, but at the heart of the British state. Take the long-awaited renovation of the Palace of Westminster. After years of delay, Parliament’s ‘Restoration and Renewal programme’ has finally released several ‘fully costed’ scenarios for the project, ranging from £11 billion at the ‘cheap’ end to a staggering £39 billion. The latter sum would cost more than the first estimates of the entire HS2 rail project.

Yet a little........

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