Guardian: The flooding crisis has shone a spotlight on much that the government would prefer to remain hidden not least the coalition's quiet slashing of the Environment Agency budget.
Despite advice in the wake of the 2007 floods to increase expenditure on flood defences, the government relied on its traditional mistrust of the public sector and the experts within it, and used the blunt instrument of cash limits.
Prime minister David Cameron said money would be "no object" to dealing with the immediate...