Cabinet minutes on Iraq 2: Can you guess what Dominic Grieve said next?

So there he was, sat in the House of Commons listening to Jack Straw announce his decision to veto the Information Tribunal’s decision that the Cabinet minutes of the decision to go to war in Iraq should be released.

Up he then got, and this is what Dominic Grieve said:

The Secretary of State’s decision to use his powers of veto in this case classically illustrates what has been wrong with the Government’s approach to freedom of information.

and

The public have had their expectations about openness raised by Labour’s spin and propaganda, only to be brought down to earth.

and

Does he [Jack Straw] recall the words at that time of the hon. Member for Stoke-on-Trent, Central (Mark Fisher), who said that that veto basically allowed the Home Secretary, as he then was, “to put a razor through the whole bill”?

and

Does the Secretary of State appreciate how it will appear to the public for someone so closely involved in the key decisions to be now personally blocking the release of that information?

So now your quiz question: how did Dominic Grieve go on to complete this sentence: “The Secretary of State’s decision is the …”? Did he say (a) “wrong one” or (b) “right one”?

Don’t be misled by all that Dominic Grieve said in the prior few minutes. For yes, he backed Jack Straw’s decision. So much for the Conservatives’ support for freedom and civil liberties. In fact, it is the second time in two days that the party has shed light on what may have driven David David to resign, for on Monday it held a policy launch with David Cameron where:

David Cameron yesterday downgraded the Tories’ commitment to civil liberties.

Should make for some interesting questions at the weekend when a phalanx of Conservatives will be descending on the Convention on Modern Liberty to argue the case they’re really, really changed, honest guv. February excepted.

Read more by or more about , , , , , or .
This entry was posted in News and Parliament.
Advert

Post a Comment

Lib Dem Voice welcomes comments from everyone but we ask you to be polite, to be on topic and to be who you say you are. You can read our comments policy in full here. Please respect it and all readers of the site.

To have your photo next to your comment please signup your email address with Gravatar.

Your email is never published. Required fields are marked *

*
*
Please complete the name of this site, Liberal Democrat ...?

Advert

Recent Comments

  • Jason Connor
    I agree with Jana, well said by the way, and support the ban 100% and the government on this issue. It can cause a great deal of damage, harm and trauma to youn...
  • Jason Connor
    The coalition years did much of the damage in labour facing seats. The Green Party have now moved into that space. Many social liberal policies were jettisoned ...
  • Jason Connor
    I am against ending the triple lock and believe it's non negotiable. Many pensioners struggle with the cost of living and rising energy costs despite the recent...
  • David Le Grice
    Nigel Jones I think the issue is more that even lib dem seats aren't immune to voters behaving like we're in a two party system, Labour took Inverness and Roch...
  • Simon Banks
    There is certainly a place for Social Democracy within the Liberal Democrats, but it is not Social Liberalism. At the base of Liberalism is empowerment. Origina...