The Westminster gravy train rolls on.........

[Humerous Vegetable]

Yesterday our elected MPs voted to exempt themselves from the Freedom of Information act, ostensibly to protect constituents' letters from becoming public knowledge, but in reality to prevent you and me from finding out how much they are claiming in travel and other expenses. It appears that private letters from constituents are already protected under law and that none has ever come into the public domain, but that many of them are a bit "uncomfortable" with the electorate knowing exactly how much we are being ripped off.
I would like to know where was our own MP when this important vote was taking place? John Thurso appears to have been conspicuous by his absence....but then it was Friday I suppose, for our well-paid part timers.
http://www.theherald.co.uk/politics/news/display.var.1411307.0.0.php

[brokencross]

I agree, what total hypocrisy. Introduce a FOI law and when it does what it supposed to do, because it has the ability to show MP's in a bad light exempt themselves. One law for us, and exemption for them..open and transparent Government is what we were promised.
As you say the red herring about private personal correspondence to and from constituents is already protected under other laws.

Anyway, rather than exempting Parliament and the Lords completely, just draft in a clause to the FOI specifically covering this "private correspondence" stuff that is causing them concern. Surely they can manage that, when a load of them are solicitors, lawyers etc.

Next they will put a block on Hansard and you won't see who voted for what and the BBC Parliament channel will be vision only (with faces pixilated) so we can't hear what is said in debates. I mean, they already vote for their own pay rises, expenses and luxury pension schemes so if we and the press can't check up on them we have no hope!

Here is a chance for Mr Brown to show how sincere he is about restoring faith and confidence in Parliament and how the Government is held to account by MP's. If the FOI exempts MP's how on earth can the public hold them to account. He is not going to though, where is a 3 line whip when you want one.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6667431.stm
There is a link on that page which shows you the names of the 96 MP's who voted for secrecy.

[peter macdonald]

On Thursday Gordon Brown made a great play on restoring trust between New Labour and the people ...funny on this matter his silence has been deafening !!

[j4bberw0ck]

Don't hold your breath waiting for Gordon Brown to change anything. He is an MP, of course, as well as being PM-in-waiting.

We're inexorably moving to a style of government last seen in the Soviet Union; special privileges for the government elite, intensive observation of the proles through CCTV and proposed database mergers, ID card schemes, and compulsory reporting by one arm of government to another.

Appalled for instance to hear that doctors will shortly be expected to report to the Police anyone who may be a risk of committing a violent crime (http://www.guardian.co.uk/crime/article/0,,2084659,00.html). What on earth does that phrase mean, exactly? As the article linked to makes clear, that could be construed as meaning anyone here who consults their GP because of stress.

Politicians, and particularly the Labour Party under Tony Blair have sold freedoms which lasted centuries away for a handful of meaningless, undelivered and undeliverable promises.

[wavy davy]

Outrageous, but you can't register your disapproval of this latest play and the others before it, through the ballot box because they're all the same. (politicians I mean)

Time for a good old revolution or a political Messiah - fat chance of either.

I'll have to be content with spending the two hours before bed sending scathing emails to as many as possible of those who voted for this latest piece of double dealing.

Makes you sick!