Yes, minister?

When I read the headline to this story in today’s Indy I was expecting a tale of government will being frustrated by administrative won’t. Reading the article I was disappointed to find that there was little evidence of senior mandarins deliberately frustrating government ministers. But it does serve as a useful piece on the role of a minster - a frequently confusing area for students of UK Politics.

The paper reports on Ed Miliband’s attempt to usher in a green revolution:

‘It was designed as a symbol of the Government’s firm commitment to curbing climate change – a new department, with a bright, ambitious Secretary of State, dedicated to planning Britain’s energy production around curbing greenhouse emissions and streamlining the fight to save the planet.

But after taking the plaudits from environmentalists and campaigners, all is not well at Ed Miliband’s Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC). Almost half a year after it was formed, it is beset with organisational problems’.

So what are they, why did Miliband get into this predicament, and how as a Minister is he going to sort it out? A good e.g. of one of the roles of a Minister: doing a good job of running your department.