In his recent interview on BBC2, Dominic Cummings’ testimony of our government’s performance was scathing and he touched on a fundamental wider problem.

The former government adviser mentioned required changes to the power structure of our society and a change to the political system to get the right talent in vital positions of office.

I believe this is a cultural problem.

In the same way that many in the Commons are accused of being “career politicians”, this problem exists in public services in general, and it has been encouraged.

There has been an unhealthy obsession with promoting the individual, regardless of how much competence they have. In lecturing its employees, the public sector needs to drop that awful word “development” and replace it with competence. I go to work to do a job, not get developed!

Those who chose not to climb the corporate ladder, being happy with their current “lower” position, are sometimes questioned about it as if they’re some kind of deviant.

As a result of this form of individualism or employment snobbery, we get people at the top of government and other public institutions who are out of their depth and over qualified.

It’s time that the whole system was looked at and changes made.

Alan Bates