Freedom of Information - my ass

Gil Scott-Heron once memorably sung "Mandate, my ass" when referring to Ronald Regan's "landslide" victory with the votes of 26% of the registered voters. I feel much the same about this Labour Government's support for Freedom of Information. Once again I read that "Commons speaker Michael Martin is using a 319-year-old law designed to protect freedom of speech to try to stop the publication of Home Office reports on the failing ID card scheme. Lawyers for Mr Martin appeared unexpectedly at a High Court hearing last week aiming to prevent potentially damaging internal assessments being published under the Freedom of Information Act...The latest twist in the dispute over ID cards occurred as the Government was appealing against an Information Commissioner's Office decision to publish the 'gateway' reviews, which monitor and assess the ID scheme's chance of success."

Last night Martin Bell, the former independent MP and anti-sleaze campaigner, said: "There is a clear public interest in the release of these documents. People are tired of the Government hiding behind walls of secrecy."


This Government and Freedom of Information, when it pertains to Government matters are often not even on nodding terms.