John Maynard Keynes has a lot to answer for. So does Karl Marx. Also, Groucho Marx.
In the Battle of the Five Armies, Tolkien presents a metaphor - although he surely would deny it - of Keynsian economics vs. the power of fascism. I'm not even sure what that means. The free market is a foreign concept in The Hobbit, but wholly in keeping with Tolkien's background, steeped in privilege, in which received unquestioned wisdom is that your betters know better.
That attitude might be toast.
"By ignoring the concerns of torture victims and major human rights organisations, the government risks a pointless whitewash."
But former foreign secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind denied the inquiry was secretive and said the campaigners were "cutting off their nose to spite their face".
"I cannot recollect an inquiry that's been proposed to be so open as we're having in this particular case," he said.
Sir Peter Gibson will chair the planned inquiry which was initially welcomed by campaigners "When was the last time the head of MI5 and the head of MI6 - the prime minister has made quite clear - can be summoned to this inquiry and be required to give evidence?"
He also said a "vast amount" of the information would be made public, and there had to be "some element of trust" when the authorities were dealing with top secret information.
The fact is, there is no trust. After the Iraq disaster and subsequent limp-wristed inquiries into its origin of folly, trust between the ruling and the ruled has broken down entirely, except for Kate and Wills. They're, like, OK. As to the John Scarletts of the world...the sooner they're on trial in The Hague, the better.
