The Newspaper Society is urging journalists to contact their MPs to speak against another attempt in the Commons tomorrow to exempt MPs expenses and correspondence from the freedom of information act. Of course, it's necessary to know where your MP stands on the matter. After all, we don't want to encourage those who wish to shield themselves from public scrutiny to turn up.
To that end, I'll be trying to ascertain the views of my local man, Des Turner (Lab, Brighton Kemp Town) who, I understand from an aide, will not be attending the debate tomorrow. But the MP in our neighbouring constituency, Norman Baker (Lib Dem, Lewes), is fighting the good fight against an attempt by David Maclean (Tory, Penrith) to remove parliament from the scope of the FOI act.
Maclean's private members' bill was blocked in the Commons last Friday by opponents of the bill who organised a filibuster. But the debate will continue tomorrow and looks as though it could be the first item on the agenda again. So Baker and his buddies may have to maintain another five-hour debate in order to block it once again.
For the record, the FoI heroes, aside from Baker, were Simon Hughes (Lib Dem), Richard Shepherd (Tory) and David Winnick (Lab). As the Newspaper Society notes, they will need all the help they can get from other MPs who oppose the bill.
