The politics of bureaucracy

Dear Editor

The instances described by John Launer are all too common, especially to people who may rely on support from various government agencies. Bureaucracy as obstruction has a familiar ring to it, but bureaucracy also has important merits: it can be administratively efficient, and operate without fear or favour vis à vis the individual. More recently – especially the years of austerity in public services – it has also been politicised to be actively hostile and to discourage engagement. So we might look beyond the bureaucracy itself to who is exploiting it for wider political ends.