{"product_id":"the-intimacy-of-power-an-insight-into-private-office-whitehalls-most-sensitive-network","title":"Intimacy of Power","description":"\u003cp\u003eHave you ever wondered what happens behind the scenes in the\ncorridors of power during a major crisis or after a ministerial reshuffle? How\ndo new government ministers get to grips with their portfolios and priorities?\nWho guides and supports them? And why, sometimes - during events such as\n'Partygate' - do things go wrong?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn this meticulously researched book, former senior civil\nservant Alun Evans lifts the lid on a vital but little-known cog in the\nmachinery of government: private office and the private secretaries who work\nwithin it. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003ePrivate secretaries exercise huge influence, and yet most of\nus have never heard of them. They are the ones who manage the flow of work, who\nwhisper quietly in ministers' ears and who have been Prime Ministers' closest, most\ntrusted and most discreet confidants. At critical moments in our national\nhistory - from the Falklands War to the Westland affair, from Black Wednesday\nto the 2008 financial crash, from New Labour to the coalition government - they\nhave been central but hidden players.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWith exceptional access to former Prime Ministers and\ndecision-makers, Evans explores what private office is and why it matters to British\ndemocracy. He argues that following the egregious constitutional breaches of\nBoris Johnson's premiership, private office must once again be taken seriously\nso it can return to being the independent junction box of government and a\nvital part of the British constitution.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Biteback Publishing","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54006879945048,"sku":null,"price":31.99,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0278\/1295\/4195\/files\/9781785908323.jpg?v=1777127419","url":"https:\/\/agendabookshop.com\/products\/the-intimacy-of-power-an-insight-into-private-office-whitehalls-most-sensitive-network","provider":"Agenda Bookshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}