《No, Minister.(存一下英文版)》用其他笔名

30、[Interlude] S01E02.5

　　Thursday, 31st January, 1980.
　　70 Whitehall, London. The Cabinet Office.
　　Alistair sat in the office of the Cabinet Secretary, Sir Albert Sackville. A file lay on the desk.
　　"Sir Albert," Alistair's tone was as steady as ever. "I present for your consideration the Department of Synergy Coordination's follow-up and related recommendations regarding the incident of the Minister's visit to Newlyn, Cornwall."
　　Sir Albert sat in his large leather chair, his fingers tapping lightly on the desk, his gaze sweeping over the title of the memorandum before him: Procedural Recommendations for Optimising the Inter-departmental Synergy of High-Level Local Visits to Uphold the Government's Image.
　　He did not open the file immediately, but looked first at Alistair.
　　"Ally, I saw the morning papers," his voice was calm, betraying no inclination. "Minister Hyde's trip to Cornwall seems to have provided Fleet Street with a good deal of material. Your risk assessment was rather prescient."
　　"Thank you for your attention, Sir," Alistair replied, neither servile nor arrogant. "Risk assessment is one of the DSC's core functions. It is precisely because of the lack of coordination exposed by this incident that I have taken the liberty of submitting this memorandum, with the aim of providing a more synergistic framework for the future, to avoid any repeat of such embarrassing incidents for the government."
　　Only then did Sir Albert pick up the file and open it.
　　The core of the memorandum was a proposal to establish a non-mandatory, purely information-reporting system. Departments could inform the DSC of their ministers' local itineraries in advance, and the DSC would be responsible for checking them and providing alerts on potential conflicts or risks.
　　He read it word for word, his face expressionless. It was only when he had finished that he slowly closed the file.
　　"Non-mandatory?" Sir Albert raised an eyebrow slightly. "You have always pursued efficiency."
　　"An irrefutable recommendation is sometimes more effective than a forceful directive," Alistair met Sir Albert's gaze.
　　He paused. "If departments do not voluntarily report, and a similar incident that damages the government's overall image occurs in the future, then the Prime Minister's Office and the Cabinet Secretariat will have every reason to hold the uncooperative departments accountable. This non-mandatory mechanism, paradoxically, compels them to proactively seek our advice to mitigate their own risk."
　　Sir Albert's gaze lingered on Alistair's face for a long moment. He finally made no comment, but simply tapped the desk.
　　A few days later, an Internal Circular from the Prime Minister's Office was quietly distributed to all departments:
　　Internal Circular
　　Prime Minister's Office
　　Ref: PMO/IC/007/80
　　Cc: All Permanent Secretaries
　　From: Cabinet Office (on advice from No.10 Press Office)
　　Date: 4 February 1980
　　Subject: Recommendation on Enhancing the Overall Synergy of Government Local Visits
　　To continuously optimise the overall synergistic effectiveness of high-level visits undertaken by government departments at the local level, No. 10 Downing Street recommends that, when planning local itineraries for Ministers or officials of equivalent high rank, all departments, as a matter of courtesy and in the spirit of synergy, may engage in preliminary communication with the Department of Synergy Coordination. The Department of Synergy Coordination will be responsible for collating relevant information and may provide informational reference and risk assessment on potential schedule conflicts or public relations risks.
　　This measure aims to promote the flow of information within government and enhance foresight in decision-making, thereby better serving the public interest. This is a non-mandatory recommendation and does not alter the autonomous planning and decision-making powers of individual departments.
　　For information.