Editorial comment: Scratch my back

Of course, such actions are not limited to those tasked with carrying out the orders of elected ministers – often ministers themselves try to take advantage of "The System", as David Blunkett found out to his misery. The rot seems to permeate every which way: in most countries it is easy to find ex-policemen employed by security firms, armed forces staff joining arms makers, and medical professionals previously employed by the state now developing drugs or, more likely, helping forge a path through regulatory barriers to getting a product to market. And so to financial services. While f...