Much has been made of Gordon Brown’s incredible decision to sell a substantial part of the
More importantly, this episode has gone to show how corrupt Government has become under the New Labour regime and how the Labour spin machine involves the use not only of its own apparatchiks but also supposedly impartial arms of government (in this case HM Treasury) and the misuse of laws and rules that should be applied even-handedly and without favour.
Watt reports,
“The Sunday Times has been battling the Treasury for 18 months to obtain documents revealing the advice it received on the sale of gold. Under freedom of information laws, the paper has asked for statistical information relating to the decision to sell gold; minutes of ministerial meetings; official correspondence and studies into the aftermath of the decision.
Before the 2005 election the Treasury rushed out comparable information about the Conservatives’ darkest economic hour, Black Wednesday, but it took it five months to turn down this request, although it is required by law to respond within 20 working days [my italics and emphasis.]
Among five exemptions it has claimed to block publication is that “such information relates to the location (past or present) of the UK’s gold holdings, which, if made known, could increase risks to security”. This information is on the Bank’s official website.”
The conclusion that must be drawn is that this Government will readily accede to a Freedom of Information request that damages its opponents but obfuscates and seeks to bury anything that shows its own bad faith, venality or incompetence.