A good day to bury bad expenses
Mar 30, 2009 Campaigns, Central Government, FOI in Parliament
A Home Secretary on the verge of resignation over allegations her husband put through porn on expenses.
World leaders descending on London for the G20 with expected riots.
A full news day and what better time to publish the much-delayed aggregate 2007/2008 expense totals of all MPs. These are the same aggregate totals that the House of [...]
Porn on the taxpayer
Mar 29, 2009 FOI in Parliament, FOI in the news
It’s one of those stories that you couldn’t have made up. But with MPs’ expenses, the scandals come so think and fast you don’t need to. Today we learn that the Home Secretary’s husband claimed two porn films on his wife’s expenses. Richard Timney, who is also Jacqui Smith’s parliamentary aide at a cost of [...]
England reverting to 1960s-style secrecy
Mar 8, 2009 FOI in Parliament, FOI in the news
An interesting interview with the Scottish Information Commissioner published in today’s Sunday Herald. He mirrors my own thinking that FOI is going backwards not forwards in England with the Government’s efforts all focused on exempting MPs, nationalised banks and Cabinet from FOI and direct accountability to the people.
“Down south, the indications are that’s far from [...]
Political Parties and Elections Bill summary
Mar 8, 2009 FOI in Parliament
Julian Todd who runs Public Whip has written in to say there is now a summary of the controversial move to exempt MPs’ from having to register on the electoral roll. See:
http://www.publicwhip.org.uk/division.php?date=2009-03-02&number=45
How democracy works
Mar 4, 2009 Freedom of Information
How does a bill like the one passed Monday become law?
Rational debate? Considered opinion? Not at all. The word of one apparatchik is law and no discussion is allowed. Read the debate for yourself:
Mr. Heath: On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. I wonder whether there is any precedent for taking a Division [...]
Sneaky MPs vote to keep addresses secret
Mar 3, 2009 Campaigns, FOI in Parliament
Just as the debate on the Political Parties and Elections Bill was about to end at 9pm last night, Julian Lewis MP stood up and sneakily inserted a clause to exempt MPs’ home addresses from being included in the electoral registers.
Yet again – one rule for us, another for our ever-more-self-important MPs.
Read more in [...]
Tags: secretsnouts
