ABSTRACT
Despite such positive auguries, however, the perception persists that during these years a mountain of effort produced only a mouse. Modernisation’s moment, in short, was missed. Is this correct? Did the reforms of Fulton and Heath go largely unimplemented? Worse still, by halting internally driven reform in its tracks, was the pace of change actually reversed? Alternatively, was this period one of substantial reform, the full extent of which has been obscured by unfavourable comparison with idealised versions of certain contemporary blueprints – advanced by their far from disinterested authors?
