It may be the season of goodwill but I could not help but agree with Roy Hattersley in the Guardian yesterday when he said:

Imagine what would have happened if a government messenger had lost a package of classified information, or a trade union had been instrumental in putting at risk the future of a bank, in Thatcher's day. The inadequacy of the public service would have been the theme of her next dozen speeches. And the country would have been told that the TUC was undermining the very fabric of society. She understood that a successful politician needs ideological enemies.

So why aren't people blaming TNT for the loss of HMRC data? After all, they were the carrier who actually mislaid it. And why aren't the government blaming the collective banking system for the sub-prime crisis of which Northern Rock is a stark symbol and not an isolated exception?

I have enormous belief in the capacity of business. I have spent most of my career running private businesses. And I'm proud of that. But it has taught me to be aware of the limitations of that model. And they are numerous. That is why I argue with those who would say otherwise, and not with business itself. Their lack of humility galls me. The lack of confidence of those who suffer as a result of that lack of humility on the part of some representatives of the business community galls me more.

Unless we identify and name the problems which the current 'business model' of our government (and others) causes we cannot hope to change it for the better for all involved, including private enterprise.

I guess that's a challenge for 2008.