What the Butler Committee Saw
Reflections on the Butler report on intelligence about Iraq WMD, or lack of them
Category: Politics
A question of honour
The report on the honours system by the Select Committee on Public Administration
The lasting harm done by a great television series: ‘Yes, Minister’
Yes Ministers has produced a culture of contempt for and suspicion of our public service which has played some part (I wouldn’t say decisive, but certainly contributory) in enabling successive governments, starting with those of Thatcher and enthusiastically continuing with those of Major/Heseltine and Blair, to destroy the political independence of the public service
The June election results and what they mean for Britain and the EU
The really significant thing about these results, surely, is that the Europhobe (UKIP) and Eurosceptic (Conservative) votes together totalled 43% of those voting
The appointment of John Scarlett
Concerns, some legitimate, about the appointment of the new head of Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service (MI6): the failure in the WMD dossier affair to maintain the essential distinction between (a) the collection and analysis of intelligence, and (b) the formulation and public presentation of government policy.
Hitting children
The government’s supine refusal to ban hitting (“smacking”) children as part of the new legislation on child abuse, despite our obligation to do so under an international Convention which we have ratified.