Government protection leaves much to be desired

The first duty of any government is to protect its citizens. This is the most basic and fundamental of the state’s roles. Beside it, what normally engages the political world verges on the superfluous. The Blair-Brown soap opera pales into insignificance, exposed for the narcissistic nonsense that it is. But, while no government can guarantee the safety of its people in all circumstances all the time, this one has proved particularly inept at carrying out this duty.

Two reports last week on the July 7 London bombings, in which more than 50 people were killed and several hundred injured, put a favourable gloss on the role of the security services. The Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) thought it “understandable” that, having been aware of two of the four bombers for up to two years before (and having the telephone number of a third on its database), MI5 diverted its attentions to “more pressing priorities”. MI5 — its motto is regnum defende — had a lot on its plate and “resources” were scarce. Regnum non defendit (Leading article in today's Sunday Times)

Mark Alexander