ABSTRACT
The study of British government is too often the study of Westminster and Whitehall. The pictures of senior politicians on television have the all too obvious implication that what they think and do matters for ordinary citizens; but does it? From the standpoint of a consumer of public services, the gallery of national figures with which we are so frequently regaled is less important than might seem to be the case. The house in which ‘Henry Dubb’ lives, the heating and other energy demands he makes, the school in which his children are educated, the hospital in which they were born, the roads on which he drives, even the tap he turns and the toilet he flushes are not provided by Westminster and Whitehall. Central government may pass a law, provide money, inspect and, on occasion, directly provide a service but, for the most part, it needs the co-operation of other bodies in order to meet its electoral promises. Its influence lies in its ability to cajole, bully and persuade (but not command), and even this ability may not call forth the desired degree of compliance.
