Tory Bear is having a busy day but had time to flick through The Times at lunchtime. Normally
Rachel Sylvester's pieces
hit the spot but TB was quite shocked today to read of the likes of Sir Gus O'Donnell - the cabinet secretary taking the piss out of the Freedom of
Information Act:
"Sir Gus jokes with investigative journalists at parties that it is his job to frustrate their inquiries; the Civil Service sees its role as to block any important requests, which means that only trivia (such as the guest lists for dinners at Chequers or the amount of money
MPs claim on expenses) is revealed. “Most ministers think that the Freedom of Information Act is a joke and a waste of taxpayers' money,” says one government member. “It's killing the system.”"
Apparently government departments are in chaos trying to deal with
FOI requests - “The whole thing has become a nightmare,” says one permanent secretary. “It is starting to hamper the way in which Government works.”
Well to TB that proves one very clear fact. If the state can't even keep track of what it is doing then it is too big. It's out of control - different arms not in
communication with one another, burying deeper and deeper into our lives, rights and freedom. When anti-terrorist officers have access to
MPs love letters, private property or opposition offices then the state has come to far. It is an overbearing beast that must be slain. If a government department has to spend hours working out what is going on in it's own office then that office is
clearly out of control.
FOI is a blessing and should not be treated with such disgusting contempt by this morally
bankrupt and corrupt Labour
government.
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