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哈克遇到行政事务部的前任大臣——汤姆·萨金特（我很喜欢这个人的长相），于是向他打听关于数据库的事情。
Jim Hacker: Well, how are you enjoying being in opposition?
哈克：当反对党的滋味如何？
Tom: How are you enjoying being in government?
汤姆（微笑反问）： 执政的感觉如何？
Jim: Well, not as much as I expected, actually. Well, not at the moment.
哈克（郁闷地）：唔，实际上并非如我期望的那样，至少此刻不是。
Tom: Humphrey got you under control?
汤姆：汉弗莱把你制服了？
Jim: It’s hard to get things done. Did you manage to get things done?
哈克：想做成点事情真难。你办成过什么事吗？
Tom: Oh, almost nothing at all. When I did cotton on to his technique, there was the election.
汤姆：哦，几乎没有。我花了几年才摸透了他的战术，而新选举已经来临了。（此处英文字幕省略了很多）
Jim: Technique?
哈克：战术？
Tom: Stalling technique. It comes in five stages. First, he’ll tell you the joining ministering is very new and there are lots of things to be getting on with.
汤姆：拖延战术。有五个阶段。首先，他会跟你说内阁新建，尚有许多事务要处理。
Jim: He told me that this morning.
哈克：他今早就是这么对我说的。
Tom: Quite. Then, if you still persist, he’ll say something like “Ah, yes, Minister, I quite appreciate the intention, certainly something ought to be done, but are you sure this is the rightway to achieve it?” Now, if you are still undeterred, he will shift his ground. He will shift from how to do it to when you should do it. You know, I mean, he’ll say “Now, Minister, this is not the right time, for all sorts of reasons”.
汤姆：当然了。接着，如果你仍旧坚持，他会这么说“好的，大臣阁下，意图很好，确实应该施行，但你肯定这是实施它的正确方式？”如果你还没有被唬住，他会改变立足点，从告诉你如何做转向何时做。他会说“大臣阁下，现在不是恰当的时机，处于各种原因”。
Jim: And Ministers settle for that?
哈克（很惊讶）：那大臣们就裹足不前了？
Tom: Well, lots do. And if you don’t, he’ll simply say that the policy “has run into difficulties”. Technical, political, legal… Legal are the best sort. He can make those totally incomprehensible. And with any luck, this technique will have lasted for about three years and you’ll be at the final stage when he says “We’re getting very close to the next general election. Are you sure you can get this policy through?”
汤姆：多数如此。如果你没有放弃，他会说正在“实施起来困难重重”。技术上，行政上，法律上… 法律是最好的托词。他会使其听起来玄乎其玄。走运的话，这个战术会持续三年，到了最后阶段，他会告诉你“大臣阁下，下一届普选近在咫尺。你能保证这项政策通过？”
