ABSTRACT
I shall begin by taking up an approach which has a distinct plausibility at first sight. The approach in question may be set out in three stages: (1) the government is a trustee for the citizens; (2) the duty of a trustee is to look after his client’s interests; therefore (3) the duty of the government is to look after the interests of the citizens, i.e. to do things which are ‘in the public interest’. I shall examine the three stages in turn.
