It represents, if you like, an attempt to set down what the Guardian thinks you, its readers, expect of its staff journalists and the freelances who write for it.
Pope Benedict XVI is a brilliant theologian who is attempting to set down the principles and the framework of a debate on the past, present and future identity of Europe.
In the absence of an official account, this series of articles – based on evidence given to the inquiry and other accounts that are already in the public domain – is an attempt to set down in writing, as objectively as possible, the known facts and unresolved questions of one of the most bitterly controversial episodes in recent British history.
But racing should not forget, because the greatest crime here was not the attempt to set down a new set of whip rules, but the timing and manner of their introduction, which suggests that the BHA cannot be trusted to act in the best interests of British racing.
Yet, while the novel is clearly an attempt to set down the textures of everyday life - close reading could improve your cooking, your squash game and even tip you off about what sort of kettle to buy - McEwan has larger concerns than, say, Nicholson Baker in the close auditing of The Mezzanine and Room Temperature.
Before attempting to set anything down on paper, you must first consider the terrain, the size and shape of the house, the soil composition and the climate.
The issue may have been resolved last month, when Mr. Bremer hinted that he would strike down any attempt to set up an Islamic republic.
But in 2011 the Supreme Court of Canada struck down an attempt to set up a national regulator through federal legislation ruling that controlling the industry is a provincial responsibility.
