Evening press leader
Rarely has legislation been so misleadingly named. The Freedom of Information Bill is as much about safeguarding secrecy as it is about open government.
Despite a revolt by 36 Labour rebels the Bill passed its first hurdle in the Commons last night. Now we must rely on the Lords to try to bolster this feeble law. That is a sad reflection on the state of our democracy.
Yet it was with the avowed intention of strengthening the democratic process that New Labour made a manifesto commitment to a "revolutionary" Freedom of Information Act. In those heady days of Opposition, the Labour team assured us it would sweep away the official secrecy that stifles British society.
Ministers looked to be as good as their word when they published the White Paper soon after taking office in 1997. But after three years they were fully absorbed into the Whitehall culture of concealment. What Home Secretary Jack Straw eventually placed before the Commons was a Bill so full of caveats and vetoes that fully 23 categories of information are exempted. In many cases, this Act will only allow us to learn what the Government is happy for us to know.
Official secrecy has increased under New Labour. In response to the Data Registration Act, some police forces - fortunately, not the North Yorkshire constabulary - now refuse to reveal the identities of accident victims, leaving the local community in the dark.
Moreover, Labour's proposals for Cabinet-style local government failed to impose any duty on councillors to disclose their agendas in advance or to meet in public. York council leaders, in response to public pressure, are likely to conduct their business more openly.
And now we have a Freedom of Information Bill that will allow Government departments to keep feeding us spin instead of facts. If Mr Straw was really keen on full and honest disclosure, he should consider renaming it the Freedom of Disinformation Act.
Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.
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