I am not a civil servant, and I have never met the new Cabinet Secretary, Simon Case; nor, the the best of my knowledge, anybody who has.  But I do know that he is stepping in where angels fear to tread.

Johnson may be prime minister in name, but I for one have much doubt as to whether he is the one calling the tunes in Number 10.  Put frankly, he’s nasty enough, but too indolent.  For whatever reason – and one may well wonder what that reason may be  – it seems to be a.n.other who is pulling the strings, as The Urban Spaceman (Sajid Javid – who recently took up a position as an adviser to a US investment bank) discovered at the beginning of this year.  There is a trend: experience out: young personable, inexperienced man in.  Simon Case may prove to be the Rishi Sunak of the civil service.

Experience, like judgement, is an unvalued ability in this age, but it is not without its worth.  “Intelligence” said G.H. Hardy, “is for any practical purpose, a very minor gift.”  Assessing the issues on which to stand your ground, knowing when to run and when to dig in, are important political skills and they come with years.

The civil service has lost five permanent secretaries so far this year. It is inconceivable that, whilst one or two may have been a bit under par, all five deserved the chop.  It requires strength of character, experience and judgement to stand up to a bully. Let us hope, for all our sakes, that the New Cabinet Secretary has them, Just-in Case.