Why the civil service is being told some home truths / The Herald, 8 Aug 2006

http://www.theherald.co.uk/features/67371.html
Douglas Fraser
"Faceless pen-pushers, bean-counters, bureaucrats and mandarins who lurk in corridors of power, awaiting early retirement with index-linked pensions, and doing . . . well, we're not sure, and they're not good at explaining. The bowler hats have long since been binned, but a negative civil service image lives on.Beyond the stereotypes are criticisms, and they are harder to explain, particularly when some of the tougher ones are shared by those at the most senior levels."