No Taxation Without Obfuscation

Mere centuries after a few more or less non-Muslim types tried to blow up the Houses of Parliament with the king inside, the fact that the Royal Family's security budget is an official secret is a tribute to British sang-froid. The Guardian is trying to determine the total cost of protecting the spawn of the Old Queen over a period of three years, without asking for any information on budgets for individuals or the details of the arrangements. Naturally, the Ministry for Britishness Enforcement responded with a flat refusal, in case any such disclosure should be an aid to terrorists or, worse yet, "enhance democratic debate about the cost of the monarchy." The information commissioner agreed, on the eminently sensible grounds that "the resulting figure may be surprisingly low and, were this the case, then it could put those concerned at significantly more risk." By the same brilliant logic, of course, any attempt to subject the defence budget to public scrutiny would be the act of a Putin-sympathiser and a minion of the Heathen Chinee. Accordingly, we can no doubt look forward to the information commissioner's opinion being extensively recycled at the Government's convenience, particularly in departments where ministers find the taxpayer a bit niggardly with bungs for the chums.