Civil servants: Douglas Carswell and Sir Richard Mottram
TV programmes such as Yes, Minister to The Thick of It have mocked the battle between politicians and civil servants as they questioned who actually ran the government.
But humour is now lacking, with signs that top officials and the MPs are getting increasingly frustrated with each other in a battle for power behind the scenes.
Giles Dilnot spoke to Conservative MP Douglas Carswell who reckoned some civil servants were a "world unto themselves" and former Permanent Secretary Sir Richard Mottram.
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17 Dec 2012