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Caution: Consult your medical practitioner before reading this book if you:

• have a weak heart or high blood pressure
• suffer from headaches or poor concentration
• are of a nervous disposition
• have knowledge or experience of management theory and/or practice
• have any tendency towards democracy or egalitarianism

The book is a diary covering the 7 months Mary Allen spent as Chief Executive of the Royal Opera House. It provides an incredibly detailed account of her experiences, mostly consisting of an endlessly repetitive series of meetings at which the same things appear to be discussed without any conclusion being reached. Many of the meetings seem to be conducted in an atmosphere of ill-disguised hostility and there is much evidence of apparent double-dealing and dissembling. This would be pardonable if anything constructive emerged from the process, but the indecisiveness, incompetence and self-interest described make the shenanigans portrayed in the notorious television documentary series "The House" seem like a model of organisational skill and teamwork. Mary Allen shows great indignation at Gerald Kaufman's description of the goings-on at the ROH as a "shambles", but it really does seem to be an accurate description.

There are numerous factors contributing to the chaos. Firstly, the organisation seems to have the original structure from hell. The Main Board, the Senior Management, the Royal Opera House Trust, the Floral Trust and the links between them are pretty hard to fathom, let alone the Opera Board and Ballet Board which come and go at the whim of the various Chairmen, the Royal Opera House Developments Limited and the numerous committees. In addition the Arts Council and the Department of Culture, Media and Sport have close connections with the ROH. I worked for the NHS for many years and watched with horror as a simple but inefficient bureaucracy turned itself into a "business" of staggering complexity in which the overall aim of universal healthcare became lost in a bitter struggle for survival in the "internal market". No-one seemed to care if the individuals designated as "managers" of this or that "business unit" had any of the relevant skills or experience. Very much the same sort of thing seems to have evolved - surely it was not designed intentionally? - at the ROH. Perhaps the most glaring example is the contract with Sadler's Wells. I don't feel strong enough to go into details; suffice it to say that the ROH signed a contract to occupy Sadler's Wells for certain periods during the closure of the Opera House which was so unfavourable as to beggar belief. The sad thing is that apparently the only ROH official knowing anything about theatre contracts actually to be involved was Genista McIntosh, and she was constantly undermined by other members of the Board.

Decision-making would be difficult enough in such a complex organisation but the influence exerted by various individuals within the structure seems to have ensured that any decision which is actually made turns out to be the wrong one. The part of the book which I did actually find enthralling was the cliff-hanger description of the near financial collapse of the whole operation. Had I not known the outcome before embarking on this section, I think I would have had a break-down. The frustration and anxiety are described in heartrending terms.

Perhaps things would have proceeded more smoothly if the Chief Executive did not feel it necessary to spend quite so much time at breakfast/lunch/tea/dinner/parties with Opera House officials and employees and just about anyone connected with the Arts in general. In fact the only time I felt any sympathy with Sir Colin Southgate, present Chairman of the Main Board, was when he apparently "made a great song and dance about (Mary Allen) swanning off to award ceremonies when 'she ought to know there is a business to run'". It's hardly surprising that by the end of her 7 months' stint Ms. Allen is bemoaning her increasing girth and trying to diet.

But this is all small beer compared with the depressing picture which emerges of a group of people who seem far more intent on protecting their own interests than in nurturing what should be a glorious part of our cultural heritage. The Royal Opera House Trust seems to have far too much influence over an organisation which is largely funded from the public purse. It is pointless to discuss here the level of public funding per se or compared with similar organisations in Europe and elsewhere. The fact remains that it is public money which forms the main part of the ROH's income and it seems to me that if it is unacceptable for donors to political parties to buy influence or favours, then it is equally unacceptable for donors to the Arts to seek to determine who shall or shall not run the show, or what the artistic programme should be, or how the finances should be managed. If those who can afford to make generous donations to the ROH wish to have it run as a sort of private club, then I believe that all public subsidy should be removed and they should be left to shoulder the whole cost, even if it means that those of us who love opera and ballet could never afford to attend the Opera House again. If the public subsidy is to remain, then there must be some sort of statute of limitations on those wishing to make donations. If no-one wants to give money in those circumstances, then the Opera and Ballet Companies will have to concentrate on smaller, less elaborate productions. As things stand at the moment, at least as they are portrayed in this book, then it all looks suspiciously like misuse of public funds.