May 19 2007
The morning after those votes
The press has savaged Parliament for voting to exempt itself from the Freedom of Information legislation, and rightly so.
The main mood on the doorsteps is still one of disillusion with the Commons and politics. People want an open and accountable political process. They are suspicious of how 78 Labour MPs?? just happened to be around?? to vote this through, when only a handful of MPs usually turns up on a Friday. The Minister claimed the government was "neutral" yet she favoured the arguments for the Bill. If the government truly believed in freedom of information, it would have opposed this measure. If they were seriously worried only about keeping individual constituents’ cases confidential, they would have produced a modest amendment to the FOI Act which we could all have supported.
Indeed, it would be difficult to write a caricature of this event - no-one would believe a fictional account of a Parliament which imposed Freedom of Information requirements on everyone else, then proceeded to exempt itself, and stopped a number of the MPs who wanted to oppose such a measure from speaking. Not only are our written views to be hushed up, but now we cannot tell people our views in the House because debate has to be closed down as rapidly as possible.
I hope the Lords shows it is more in touch with public opinion than the Commons, by voting this measure down. It would be a final irony that the unelected House acts as the people’s champion, against the secretive instincts of the Commons establishment. I will contact my friends in the Lords to see if they will do what the Commons failed to do.
John Redwood has been the Member of Parliament for Wokingham since 1987. First attending Kent College, Canterbury, he graduated from Magdalen College...
I’m absolutely outraged that MPs have voted this bill through and dismayed that, as I understand it from Greg Hurst in the Times today, the conservative party did not oppose it.
I feel MPs are losing touch with, and consequently the confidence of, the ordinary man in the street
John, Thank you and those few of your colleagues for voting against this shameful bill and your continuing efforts with the Lords. Please convey the dismay and anger of millions of us to your leader, for failing to provide leadership, and Maclean, who introduced the bill and should be ashamed for so doing.
What hope is there for the future of democracy in this country? The electorate is treated with utter contempt by self-serving politicians. Those few who voted against this outrageous bill are to be applauded. The party leaders are to be condemned for lack of overt leadership. We must now hope that the unelected House of Lords will undo this shameful act.
Hypocrisy is the worst of all characteristics.
One need search no further for the root of the malaise and indifference which bedevils our political process.
‘no-one would believe a fictional account of a Parliament which imposed Freedom of Information requirements on everyone else, then proceeded to exempt itself,’ (JR)
Like I said below, it’s exactly the same with the blanket smoking ban and the new equality laws. It’s becoming expected for parliament to exempt itself from the legislation it makes.
http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=456316&in_page_id=1770&ct=5
Need one say more?
I’m sure Mr Redwood knows the details of this better than I do, but the whole business strikes me as being journalists outraged that they’ll find it harder to dig up dirt on MPs.
As for MPs exempting themselves from things, I’d rather parliament didn’t pass these blasted smoking bans and equality laws or whatever else it is.