This never happens again

not the Government has done anything improper in this instance. And if there are good reasons for, for example, failing to produce evidence requested, there has to be transparency in offering some way of ensuring they are justified.

There are clear failings there. Even those who maintain that refusing to produce material demanded by the committee, or the redaction of evidence already published both in the media and by the parliament itself, are required in order to comply with the legal process would have to acknowledge that as an impediment to parliament’s ability – and duty – to do its job.

The ambiguous position of the Crown Office, expected to offer impartial advice, but ultimately answering to the First Minister, may be problematic, or at least appear so – again, a claim that can be made without making a judgment on its conduct in this particular instance. The absence of a secondary chamber to supervise the integrity of legislation and block executive overreach means that, if the parliament is frustrated in performing this role by ministers, there seems to be no redress.

That should be acknowledged, even if, as the First Minister increasingly implausibly maintains, there’s nothing to see here. You don’t have to believe in a conspiracy, or even to think she has been, at the least, evasive, to identify a serious problem. The one thing that can clearly be seen here is that too much of what the Government does can remain unseen, not just by the media and the public, but even by those in parliament whose whole purpose is to ensure it is held to account. That remains shiningly clear, and would be even if ministers had never put a foot out of line.

It would be dangerous to rush through changes to devolution without careful consideration: the likely outcome would be similar structural flaws. But if it is not to give the appearance that abuses and corruption are possible – whether there have actually been any or not – the parliament must take a long hard look at how to prevent a mess like this ever recurring.