So after a Freedom of Information ruling to release 14 MPs and ex-MPs recent expense claims. We are now being told that a £100,000 court action has been raised to stop this disclosure.
My next step was to look up the voting record of the most senior today of those 14, Gordon Brown on public whip. Guess what there is no vote recorded next to the then chancellor on this legislation. Although as it was being championed by his cabinet collegue Jack Straw surely he would have been in favour, had he not been otherwise detained on 4 April 2000. Of course the Member for Witney, wasn't David Cameron in those days so also we have no definitive idea how he would have voted on that issue.
However, now with the backing of the Speaker of the House, these 2 plus 12 others are trying to by-pass legislation passed within the house. So they are going to spend even more tax-payers money to avoid disclosing just what expenses they have incurred.
Surely that is immoral at all sorts of levels. What are they so scared to give up? Surely it can't only be their addresses, surely if this is a security issue and current information that would be except from full disclosure. But the values of these expenses should not be kept from us any more. After three years of FOI consideration of this issue there were nearly given up, now we find our government is not so keen on freedom of information as they would like you to believe they are. Oh yes they want to have all your information but are not prepared to give anything back.
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