It should go without saying – but we still say it, firmly and without qualification – that nothing can justify crashing an aeroplane into a building, even a tax office, with the deliberate intention of killing oneself and others. That it is morally indefensible was as true in Austin, Texas, last week as it was in New York in 2001.

Yet the most disturbing thing about the Austin case was the “suicide note” the perpetrator left behind: like most of these things, it was misspelt, ungrammatical, and often irrational – as one would expect, given that his actions were those of an unbalanced man – but some of the things he said cannot be easily written off as the ravings of a madman. Amid the ranting, there were occasional flashes, no more than that, of something very familiar: the despair of a businessman driven over the edge by the constant frustration of dealing with an uncaring bureaucracy.

The individual feels powerless in the grip of The System. Of course, this has almost always been the case, but what makes it harder to bear is that The System is intruding more and more into our daily lives – and into our businesses.

It is in the nature of The System to be corrupt – and it has in fact been more corrupt in other times and in other places – but it was at least bearable when it was further away and we did not have to deal with it so often.

It only adds insult to injury when bureaucrats claim to be acting in the name of countries committed to freedom, democracy, justice, equality, and the rule of law – when, in practice, we are helpless in the hands of those same bureaucrats whenever they choose to ignore those fine principles. This is definitely not saying anything against freedom, democracy, justice, equality, and the rule of law – on the contrary, it would be very pleasant if we could have them for once, or, in some cases, have them back.

Politicians and bureaucrats must be held accountable for their actions. They must be taught that bad things will happen to them if they do bad things. That does not, of course, mean crashing aircraft into them – but, if such acts of despair are to be avoided, there must be a legal mechanism which ensures that those who inflict suffering on their fellow citizens through maladministration cannot expect to go home to fat, secure pensions.

So far the only reaction by the bureaucracy has been a statement that tax returns will not be delayed.