...AND TEST THEM FOR DRUGS

Keith Hellawell's call for cabinet ministers and top civil servants to
submit to random drug testing is as welcome as it is amusing. That the
government's drug czar will not endear himself to Whitehall makes his
suggestion all the more pertinent. Downing Street's ban on ministers
answering questions about their past acquaintance with cannabis showed
Tony Blair's growing fondness for a curtain of secrecy between us and
the government. For once the Tories, with their drug-taking
confessions, scored on candour and are none the worse for it.

Government leaders are dangerously cocooned from the realities of
ordinary existence. They live in a protective shell, cosseted by their
staffs, transported by official cars, unaware of the pressures,
restrictions and hassles most people have to put up with. Mr Hellawell
is right; if drug tests are necessary for people lower down the chain
of command in occupations where lives depend on their unimpaired
judgment, those in charge should also be tested.

Members of parliament are, of course, more at risk from alcoholic
poisoning than narcotics. But they should also set an example by
volunteering for drug tests. Those who agreed to random breath tests
in the division lobbies would have even more kudos. MPs who dine too
well usually make fools of themselves only if they are foolish enough
to stand up and speak. The late Alan Clark aroused mirth when he wound
up a debate by skipping the pages of his official text and slurring
its grey prose.

Snap drug and breath tests in Whitehall and Westminster might prompt
an entirely new culture of power. Better decision-making, personal
relationships and sounder policies might follow. Urine tests before
cabinet meetings may be going too far but the principle is a good one.
Prince Andrew did not hide behind his status when the Royal Navy asked
him for a sample as a naval officer last year. Nor should those we
trust to run the country.

Predictably, Whitehall's initial response is sniffy. Officials ducked
questions yesterday. Robin Cook's aide said the foreign secretary was
"not here to have a bit of fun". How George Brown would have laughed.
He once tipsily asked the Cardinal Archbishop of Lima to dance. He
lost his job in the end.