Excellent initiative by the Commons Select Committee on Public Administration in actually publishing a draft bill which would prevent political advisers giving orders to civil servants and from spending public money. The emasculation of the civil service and the usurpation of their role by jejeune political groupies 'advising' tyro ministers has done inestimable damage to the whole process of government, orderly and effective public administration and ordinary people's lives.

Giving Parliament control of the civil service, as the committee also suggests, would in addition be a step towards restoring the constitutional balance of power which Tony Blair's control-freakery has so badly deformed. (Anti-royalists are purring that this would remove the Royal Prerogative from the civil service; but as ever they miss the point, that in practice the Royal Prerogative has virtually nothing to do with the monarchy and everything to do with the government which uses it to further its own powers).

Indeed, the very fact that the committee has actually published a bill is a welcome sign that parliamentarians are beginning to flex their muscles against the executive. The fact that it has no chance of becoming law should not discourage them, or us. More, please.