As a child growing up in a comprehensive school system sprinkled, rather half-heartedly by then, with traditional-but-vague Christian teachings, I was regularly gobsmacked to hear that ‘God is ever present'. Psalm 46, I vaguely recall.

Despite my Darwinian-induced scepticism, recent Whitehall whispers seem to bear this out. It seems we can't rid ourselves of ‘GOD'. Or Lord Gus O'Donnell of Clapham, at least.