Peter Cellier: Sir Frank Gordon, Permanent Secretary of the Treasury
The Smoke Screen
Yes, Prime Minister
Peter Cellier credited as playing...
Sir Frank Gordon, Permanent Secretary of the Treasury
- Sir Humphrey Appleby: [discussing how to stop the PM's anti-smoking legislation] I think the crucial argument is that we are living in a free country and we *must* be free to make our own decisions. After all, government shouldn't be a nursemaid, we don't want the nanny state.
- Sir Frank Gordon: Oh, that's very good.
- Sir Ian Whitworth: Excellent.
- Sir Humphrey Appleby: The only problem is that that is also the argument for legalising the sale of marijuana, heroin, cocaine, arsenic and gelignite.
- Sir Frank Gordon: Well maybe that's a good idea if we can put a big enough tax on them.
- Sir Ian Whitworth: Politically difficult.
- Sir Frank Gordon: Pity.
- Sir Frank Gordon: But let's be clear about this, Humphrey. The entire system hinges on you as Cabinet Secretary controlling the PM and on me as Permanent Secretary at the Treasury controlling the Chancellor. Right?
- Sir Humphrey Appleby: Right.
- Sir Frank Gordon: And on both of us keeping an agreeable tension between them, mistrust, hostility.
- Sir Humphrey Appleby: Mind you, I think they'd manage that all right even without us. The Chancellor will never forgive the Prime Minister for beating him to Number Ten and the Prime Minister will never trust the Chancellor. After all, one never trusts anyone one has deceived.
- Sir Frank Gordon: Politicians are like children. You can't just give them what they want - it only encourages them.