> I think it is scary that politicians are put in charge of thousands of employees and billion pound budgets without having to have any experience managing in the first place.
This is what the civil service is for. In the UK the ministers set policy, while the permanent secretaries of the civil service carries out the day to day management of the department and is accountable for how the department spends money. This also includes ensuring the minister is suitably supported with research and advise to make decisions even on subjects they might not know very well.
Of course there's plenty of room for ministers to make stupid decisions by refusing to accept good advice and/or not having enough understanding to know when they receive bad advice, but the civil service is very much set up so that one function is to limit the damage a clueless politician will make.
This is what the civil service is for. In the UK the ministers set policy, while the permanent secretaries of the civil service carries out the day to day management of the department and is accountable for how the department spends money. This also includes ensuring the minister is suitably supported with research and advise to make decisions even on subjects they might not know very well.
Of course there's plenty of room for ministers to make stupid decisions by refusing to accept good advice and/or not having enough understanding to know when they receive bad advice, but the civil service is very much set up so that one function is to limit the damage a clueless politician will make.