A Political Pas de Deux

15/9/2024

I sit at the far end of the table in the Minister’s office, watching this particular piece of political theatre play out.

The morning meeting has all the familiar props – the polished conference table, the cabinet paper, the untouched coffees growing cold.

The Minister drums her fingers on the paper. “I understand the statistical approach you’re proposing, but I’m not convinced it captures the full picture. These are people’s lives we’re talking about, not just numbers.”

Through my notepad, I observe the Deputy Secretary shift position. “Minister, I respect that perspective. However, the regression analysis gives us the strongest evidence base for policy recommendations. It’s been peer-reviewed and aligns with international best practices. It is our best free and frank advice.”

Here it comes, I think – the usual collision between political instinct and bureaucratic analysis.

But something different unfolds.

“Well that may be. And I respect that,” the Minister says, leaning forward. “But the international models don’t fully account for our unique demographic makeup. The community consultations suggest there are crucial contextual and cultural factors we might be missing.”

The air changes in the room. Instead of positions hardening, they soften. The Deputy Secretary pauses, actually considers the point.

They begin exploring a hybrid approach – statistical rigor meets community wisdom.

I watch them find their way to common ground, thinking how rarely we see this: the system working as intended, free and frank advice meeting political judgment in the middle, neither side surrendering their role but each enriching the other.

When they stand to end the meeting, I make my quiet notes.

Some days you see why the machine keeps turning, why the careful dance between elected and employed officials somehow produces better answers than either could find alone.

As this scene illustrates perfectly, the relationship between political judgment and public service expertise is neither purely antagonistic nor perfectly harmonious – it operates in a space of productive tension.

*Please note that this post is fictional. The stories shared are narratives used in workshops on free and frank advice and are drawn from my PhD research.