Letter to EADT – Public Interest vs Prince’s Interest

13 March 2010 To The Editor, East Anglian Daily Times Dear Mr Hunt There has been a lot of talk over the past year about “cleaning-up” politics. The government has promised more transparency with its Constitutional Reform and Governance Bill. The Bill contains an amendment to the Freedom of Information Act: at present, we may [...]

Time to open up the Palace

Gordon Brown has rather a lot on his plate at the moment, what with failed attempts to oust him as Labour leader and fending off calls for an immediate general election.  So I hope it hasn’t escaped his attention that he has only a few days left to accede to the decision of the Information [...]

It’s time to curb Charles’ dangerous meddling

In an “exclusive” story yesterday the News of the World reported claims that Prince Charles had actively campaigned against Britain’s involvement in the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.  (In fact the substantive elements of the story were almost identical to another article the paper ran seven years earlier.) Prince Charles is already known to [...]

A letter to Gordon Brown: release royal papers

This letter is a response to a previous post about suggestions that Prime Minister Gordon Brown may veto the release of correspondence between the royal household and the Department of Culture, Media and Sport concerning the maintenance of certain royal palaces. 29th December 2009 Dear Prime Minister, The Information Commissioner has recently ruled that a [...]

Republic Tuesday: a year of royal articles

For some extra reading over the holiday break, here’s a personal selection of articles about monarchy and the royal family from 2009: Peter Preston: “The trouble with Harry” (Guardian, 11 January 2009) The prince is in another fine mess, but his problems aren’t entirely of his own making Joan Smith: “Manufacturing the myth of monarchy” [...]

Veil of secrecy surrounding Charles’ lobbying must be lifted

In recent days the controversy over Prince Charles’ lobbying of government ministers and his private interference in the affairs of state reached a head when it was revealed that he had written directly to ministers in eight Whitehall departments over the last three years. Charles’ advisers are also said to have pressed senior cabinet ministers [...]

Take action to protect our right to know about the royal family

The campaign to make the monarchy subject to the same rules of disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act as all other public authorities seems to be coming to a head.  A recent ruling by the Information Commissioner requires the government to release more than one hundred items of correspondence between the government and the [...]

Disclosure of royal correspondence comes one step nearer

A landmark ruling made by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) may force the government to release over one hundred letters and memos written by ministers and members of the Royal Household during negotiations over public subsidies paid to the Queen for the upkeep of her palaces. Please disclose under the terms of the Freedom of [...]

A follow-up letter to John Gummer: Royal FOI exemption

John Gummer is MP for Suffolk Coastal. Submitted via WriteToThem.com, 17/12/2009: Dear John Gummer, Yesterday I wrote to ask you to support the call for greater openness and accountability in relations between the monarch and government by signing Early Day Motion (EDM) 83 which calls for the Royal Family’s exemption from the Freedom of Information [...]

A letter to John Gummer MP: EDM 83

John Gummer is MP for Suffolk Coastal. Submitted via WriteToThem.com, 16/12/2009: Dear John Gummer, I am writing to ask you to support the call for greater openness and accountability in relations between the monarch and government by signing Early Day Motion (EDM) 83 which calls for the Royal Family’s exemption from the Freedom of Information [...]