Many of the government’s departments are chaotic under this government. There is a lack of intelligent strategic leadership by senior Ministers, and a complete failure by many junior Ministers to follow up the detail to ensure they??deliver ??what they say they want to do.

So why do we suddenly know the Home Office is so bad, whilst the others get away with it?

John Reid is being made to pay the price of leaving open the option that he might run against Gordon Brown for the leadership. He has little political support, and a great number of political enemies from the Brown camp. Anything that comes out from the Home Office will be spun against him by his political opponents, rather than being dealt with by reassuring bland briefing in his favour.

More importantly, he is reaping what he has sown at the Home Office itself. We know what he thinks of them – he said the department was not fit for purpose when he arrived. It wasn’t the best chat up line to woo over his new team. We are told that he hasn’t been too friendly to the Prison officers, we know he wants to change the Immigration service, and doubtless he has had a number of fiery exchanges with his top advisers.

A Secretary of State has far less power to motivate, encourage or change his team than a CEO or Chairman in a private sector company. He cannot give incentive payments, bonuses, promotions in the way bosses do in the private sector. Trying to remove poor performers is also extremely difficult, using up precious political capital. The wheels of the civil service grind slowly, and are governed by many different rules outside the direct control of an individual Secretary of State. A CEO taking over a failing company would change the top team quickly, and give the new leaders a highly geared incentive package to make sure they delivered. An incoming Minister cannot do that.

What a Minister can do to help his cause is remember the power of three words – "Please" and "Thank you". I guess the Home Office hasn’t heard those too often in recent weeks, which is why so many of the team now appear to be offside. The permanent officials are just that – they know they will be there long after John Reid has departed. They can see Tony Blair’s authority draining away, and recognise that John Reid’s authority comes from the outgoing Prime?? Minister, not necessarily from the incoming one.

John Reid’s assertive style was never very wise as a way of leading the civil service. It now looks ridiculous, as the authority which got him the job ebbs, and as his own frustrations make him a lonelier man at the top of an important Ministry.Every mistake from here will get front page coverage. It is doubtful that John Reid will be able to change style and win over a disgruntled department. Meanwhile over at the Treasury tax credits remain accident prone, at Work and Pensions the Job Centres are still performing badly, at Health there is a hunt to find out where all the money went whilst the cuts come in and at Education there is some soul searching about why there are still so many poorly performing schools in the inner cities.