Public money undergoes some kind of transformation when it falls into the hands of public officials. This time it’s the Brits, not the usual suspects on our side of the Atlantic. I don’t know what the time period is — a week, two weeks, a month — before public officials start believing public money is actually theirs, and theirs to do with as they please, thank you very much.

My favorite in today’s example is the grandee who used public money to have his moat cleaned. I mean … his moat?