"Independent" reports
- 1 Dec 06, 10:11 AM
And lo! A consensus is born. The era of pay as you drive can't be far away. First it was NHS funding, then climate change and . The Treasury loves to commission "independent" reports - whose conclusions it knows it will agree with - by businessmen with knighthoods.
Today Sir Rod follows Sir Nick (Stern) who followed Sir Derek (Wanless). Standby for more next week in the pre-budget report. I've no doubt that these men have done valuable reports but their real value to government is that - sad to say - voters are more likely to trust the conclusions of Sir Nobby this or that than they are those of the minister, his political adviser and teams of unnamed civil servants.
Usually little more than the headline gets remembered - the NHS needs more money or tackling climate change needn't stop us having fun or, today, road pricing will solve congestion and cut carbon dioxide emissions. Buried inside are often findings ministers ignore - for example, Sir Derek Wanless was robust on the need for NHS reform.
One thing you won't find in today's report, I was told, is references to "our transport system". The author of today's report on Britain's transport system now lives in Australia.
