Brian Monteith on why there is no case against Priti Patel

And amid efforts to subvert this idea, a coalition of the defeated has coalesced to try to pick off a minister, writes Brian Monteith

Is there no limit to the amount of contempt that some officials hold for members of the public and the politicians they elect?

There can be little doubt the most effective political slogan of recent years in the UK has been “Take back control”. It literally changed history, encapsulating the desire of a country to change direction. But what will taking back control from the EU of our laws, borders and taxes if all we do is allow officials to dictate to our elected representatives what can and cannot be done? What will it matter if our institutions refuse to diverge in favour of what suits our peculiar needs, instead still adopting EU laws and, more likely than not, goldplating them?

What will it matter if our public departments continue to operate behind closed doors, preferring the transparency of tar and pulling every trick in the book to avoid freedom of information requests (such as the Scottish Government not taking minutes or using official email accounts)?

I ask these questions because it is self-evident to me at least that the histrionics of the former Home Office permanent secretary Sir Philip Rutnam has little to do with the rudeness, assertiveness or intimidation of Home Secretary Priti Patel. Rather than seeking a departmental transfer, Sir Philip flounced out in the full glare of the media announcing he was taking legal action on the basis of alleged constructive dismissal, which has been spun to suggest he was being bullied by his minister.

This looks more like an official who could not bear to accept the electorate and our mandated representatives taking back control – not just from the EU but from officials who insist they know better than the government of the day. Added to this group has been the craven but all too predictable opportunism of Labour politicians looking for any opportunity to polish their Torybashing reputations and the defeated remainer media community – all singing embitteredly from their holier-than-thou hymn sheets.

Brexit offers us many opportunities; it can mean taking control of our taxes so we levy VAT on those goods and services we choose rather than what we are told – making them cheaper for our own people; it means we can establish genuine freeports that can import, assemble and export without being bound by the EU customs union, its tariffs and regulation, creating thousands of jobs in the process; and it means we can choose not to introduce laws such as the EU’S copyright restrictions on social media. It means deciding who can fish in our waters and what regulations must be met before that permission can be given, so that more fish will be landed and processed to benefit our people.

I could go on with a far longer list, for there are many benefits that can only now come to our country but that is not my point today. Instead I must raise the alarm about how faceless bureaucrats in government departments, the lobbyists for big corporates, taxpayer-funded quangos and NGOS, and many in the media with their own “progressive” agendas wish to subvert the whole idea of the people taking back control.

It has been saddening but all to predictable to watch how some of our once-respected bastions of objectivity and liberal pluralism such as the BBC and Guardian have reported – no, distorted – allegations without any foundation, knowing that, due to the ministerial guidance and legal process, Ms