But tinkering with the code would not address a central problem in the way we govern ourselves. The code itself relies on uncodified powers wielded by civil servants and, especially, the prime minister. Labour has promised a civil service act, putting permanent officialdom on a statutory footing for the first time and has enacted new ethical codes for politicians in local government. But much of our governance still relies on aristocracy - the system relies on the state's toffs intrinsically to know right and wrong. As a matter of fact, they do behave rather well.
Peculation is remarkably absent from British public life.
But recent events show how little faith the public has in such self- regulation. The obvious place is Number 10. The ministerial code belongs to the prime minister and is put into effect by the prime minister. He is judge and jury on breaches, as Peter Mandelson complains. What the prime minister does not know, the cabinet secretary is there to tell him.