This week we talk to Suzanne Heywood about her memoir of her late husband, Cabinet Secretary Jeremy Heywood - the man who helped to run Britain for more than two decades, working with four different prime ministers. From Black Wednesday to Brexit, from the Blair/Brown battles to the surprising successes of the Coalition, Jeremy Heywood had a unique position at the heart of British politics. We discuss what he did, what he learned and what he wished had turned out differently.  Talking Points: The book starts with the ERM crisis. - This was the start of a story that arguably runs through Brexit. - Jeremy told David Cameron that he would need to address immigration with Europe, but he knew that this would be difficult. Blair had a huge parliamentary majority; this meant he could do many of the things that Jeremy wanted to see done. - Jeremy was positive about how much had been achieved, particularly in public services. - Progress was more difficult under Brown. The financial crisis created enormous strain. - Jeremy and Gordon Brown worked very closely together on the financial crisis. During political transitions, all the ‘in-flight’ initiatives pause. Any one of them may or may not land as you previously expected. - As a civil servant, you also have to be able to switch your personal loyalties. - The change in style between governments can be significant. New administrations come in with a new language, a new tone. - Civil servants have to keep the show on the road, and also adapt. At what point do civil servants have to swallow their personal objections and get on with things?  - Ministers represent the electorate; civil servants support ministers in delivering on their promises. - Civil servants can push and make certain arguments, but once a decision is made, they have to move forward with implementation. Jeremy’s real genius was in relationships. - He inspired people; they wanted to do their best for him. Mentioned in this Episode: - What Does Jeremy Think? Suzanne Heywood Further Learning:  - The Talking Politics Guide to … Being a Civil Servant - ‘Remembering Jeremy Heywood,’ in The Guardian - Bronwen Maddox reviews Suzanne’s book for the FT - From our archives… The Next Referendum?  And as ever, recommended reading curated by our friends at the LRB can be found here: lrb.co.uk/talking   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/talkingpolitics.