The question, as always, is whether government has any business making any particular groups of people's lives easier at the expense of the general tax-paying populace

This BBC exchange between Labor MP Harriet Harman and Education Secretary Michael Gove has as its immediate topic the causes of Britain's riots, but it is an excellent illustration of the general stark contrast between the leftist and conservative visions of the relationship between government and individual freedom and accountability.

HT: Commentary