In the world of Government ministers, every statement and every event is usually carefully choreographed by diligent civil servants.

Before stepping out of the ministerial limousine, hopefully they have read their brief – background on the event, some pen pictures on who you are likely to meet, and “lines to take” if some of those pesky press people get asking questions.

But sometimes it goes wrong, as happened up north to Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots last week.

He was given briefing papers ahead of a debate at Stormont on a proposed Climate Change Act. It included a “line to take” which said that language around climate change should not use the words “emergency” or “crisis”.

Officials thought that was what he wanted to hear. Minister Poots thought it was the view of his officials, and subsequently told the BBC so.

That prompted a different sort of crisis within his department, with the top brass summoned by politicians to Stormont, and turning from climate change deniers, to accepting that the end of the world is nigh, within the space of a few hours.

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