I spent some of yesterday lobbying Conservatives to speak and vote against the FOI Bill when it reaches the Lords. I am pleased to report that the leadership of the party recognises the damage this Bill is doing to trust in Parliament and is certainly not encouraging the Lords to push it through. Better still, my enquiries revealed that so far no peer has come forward to sponsor and propose the Bill in the Lords. As this is a private members Bill and not a government one, it needs a willing peer to pick it up and run with it.

Now the peers have seen what the media did to David Maclean, they are obviously having second thoughts. Brave as our peers are, it is not much of an invitation to be asked to carry a hand grenade with the pin already out through the Lords stages, especially when the cause is such a bad one. Or to change the metaphor, the leading ladies and genetlemen in the Upper House wouldn’t mind a starring role, but are?? not so keen to play the villain??by being ??the assassins of open government.

This gives those of us against the Bill more time to rally our forces against the day that the Lords may tackle this issue. I am told the proposers are trying to find a collective of peers who will propose it together. That could just be pushing?? more peers into the media character mincer.

It would be an amusing end to the Commons shenanigans if no??lord or lady??would take it on. That would truly be the end of the peer show.

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