Rules of engagement

Put on trial for breach of an unpopular law, Clive Ponting effectively turned the case into an indictment of the Secretary of State for Defence for breaching a fundamental constitutional rule – that ministers must tell the truth to parliament. The ministers involved saw no need to appear in court to vindicate their action, so the proceedings were oddly skewed. In the public eye, the star witness on the rules that govern the triangular relationship between executive, legislature, and civil service, was Merlyn Rees. But the weightiest evidence was provided by the eminent constitutional lawyer, Professor Wade.