Leading Article: The buck stops there

THE GOVERNMENT'S favourite businessman, Gerry Robinson, chairman of the Arts Council, has come up with a new rubric of corporate governance: when under fire, criticise your own staff. A year on, we find that all his problems were due to executives who were "bloody nearly always wrong".

Business and politics have always shared the instinctive justification that, when you take over a new job, you blame everything on your predecessors. But after a full year in position, Mr Robinson has taken the tactic to new heights - or depths. Not only was it all the fault of the previous administration, but it still continues to be the fault of their staff.

You can see why New Labour likes, and has promoted, so many businessmen. In the world of the Gerry Robinsons, it's all about firing your team - but never with enthusiasm, let alone policy objectives.