Author Description

These essays offer penetrating insights into the events and controversies that have dominated the news agenda for the last two years. The Hutton and Butler reports lifted the lid on the most intimate working of those who strive to convert information into a weapon - whether they be a Prime Minister in Downing Street, an MI6 agent in the field, an intelligence analyst in Whitehall, or a journalist attempting to fuse fragments into hard copy. The British Academy has brought together a distinguished group of scholars and practitioners to probe the deeper themes at play in the rush of events and inquests. The essays examine: the legal issues raised by the manner and content of Lord Hutton's inquiry; the light both Hutton and Butler shed on the Blair style of Government; and the matter of trust between Government, the governed and the news media. The volume will be compulsory reading for anyone interested in current affairs and the realities of decision-making at the highest levels of Government.