Viewers of the old yet still startlingly accurate British TV series Yes Minister will know that when the hapless hero, Cabinet minister Jim Hacker, came up with a bold new idea, his civil servant, Sir Humphrey, would quickly damn it with praise in a very British way. If the idea would cost votes, Sir Humphrey would describe it as “very brave”. If it would cost the Government election, it was braver still. It was “very courageous”. And Sir Humphrey would then work to ensure the p