00:00But also it's that thing where you're sort of in a non-state at the moment, where it's madly frustrating.
00:04Remember this as a civil servant, you think you just can't get anything done.
00:08And you also know the answer is to get more done.
00:11And actually, it's really hard to get stuff done because everybody is, everyone's acting out.
00:15And it's really interesting if you're, you know, on the non-political side, you're watching the dynamics very closely in
00:21terms of number 10.
00:22And you can see amongst the special advisors, I don't even remember this, Cleo, from various points where, like, some
00:28of them are suddenly, like, bouncing around.
00:30You know, the people who've been less powerful are now suddenly more powerful.
00:33People are wearing suits to work.
00:35Like, why do you look so smart?
00:37What are you doing with the rest of your day?
00:41Are you being the first, you know, are you all just now getting out the door and it's kind of
00:46who can get into the public affairs agency faster?
00:48And there's a bit of that going on.
00:49But there's also a, oh, actually, now, hang on a second.
00:52Having been quite lazy, you're taking a lot of notes in this meeting.
00:56Yeah, it is true.
00:57And I think to try and explain it, walking into Downing Street is, and this is such a trite thing
01:04to say, but it is a privilege.
01:05It's so cool walking up that street and it feels like a film set.
01:08And you think, here I am.
01:11So you and you've, you know, you've got your coffee.
01:13You're all ready for the day.
01:15You're finally going to turn things around today.
01:16And then you walk through that black door and it closes behind you.
01:19And it's like going into a kind of pressurized container where it's just the sense of dread ekes out of
01:26the walls, basically.
01:28People talk about it being a bunker or a goldfish bowl.
01:31And it is like that.
01:32You're sort of contained inside.
01:34And you can just tell this is not a happy place where people feel like they're winning.
01:42And you can tell that regardless of how kind of close you are to the centre, having been much more
01:46junior.
01:47You can always smell it, to be honest, in the building.
01:49It's really...
01:49What is the smell?
01:51Probably sort of, well, with Larry around, like cappy and cheap disinfectant or something.
Comments