This simple text, supported by diagrams and colour photographs, examines the function of the prime minister, the cabinet and the civil service within the context of British government and democracy. It poses the questions: how does it work in today's world? What is the relationship with society at large? Would the country be better run if power was decentralized and shared with more local forms of government? Illustrated with quotes from MPs and other officials, the book examines whether central government is sufficiently accountable to the people it serves.