Nigel, we do have the Nolan Principles for standards in public life. Governments long stopped considering them worth following, Bojo refused to appoint a ministerial standards commissioner, and I've struggled to note a politician of principle - even more so over the water. But, it's not just politicians: police officers, local government, journalists... the list goes on.

I went to a lecture a few weeks back: Greek Myths in a post-truth world. The retired prof who gave it, having retired, free to express his honest views, was very interesting: endless examples of the way truth is no longer regarded as a scientifically provable thing. When you consider the way the West has become so partisan (with the help of Musk, Trump, Putin and the internet) you do wonder just where it will go.

I'm a big fan of medieval and church history and I keep hearing things that remind me of the way beliefs were reinforced then by the most powerful without any connection to truth. Witch trials and mob justice feel just a fraction away.