Power must be held to account — now

If there’s summer school or even a short weekend course for would-be government leaders in democratic countries it should have on its timetable a session about an aphorism attributed, although the context is disputed, to a UK prime minister, Harold Macmillan.

Asked what he thought might blow his administration off course, “Events, dear boy, events” was his canny answer. In many cases, such events in government and business, too will be heralded by the din of cackling chickens coming home to roost.