The treatment of Sue Gray and Isabel Oakeshott over the past week tells us a huge amount about how power really works in the UK.
On the face of it these two women could not be more different. Gray is a hugely experienced civil servant who was relied upon for her calm discretion and good judgement by multiple ministers and prime ministers over many years. Oakeshott, by contrast, is a hugely controversial figure with a notorious reputation for pursuing her own interests at any cost.
Yet in recent days both have seen their reputations torn apart by a political and media establishment that, to differing degrees, has decided they have simply stepped beyond the bounds.