Malicious Falsehood

The row over the expenses scam for Members of Parliament continues to highlight the fact that Britain can no longer afford the luxury of a Freedom of Information Act. The conduct of Jacqui Smith, our efficient and dignified Home Secretary, has been branded "near-fraudulent" by a former chair of the committee on standards in public life, on the grounds that "one has to be careful with the word 'fraudulent'". He might as well have let rip, since Agent Smith hit the roof anyway: "This is a malicious falsehood, and implies that Jacqui is lying," a spokesbeing said, in between threats of legal action. If successful, such legal action may one day be a useful source for the compensation and costs due Michael Savage. Elsewhere, a poll by the Maul on Sunday has shown that Daveybloke's Cuddly Conservatives "appear to be emerging unscathed as the controversy grows", presumably because shifting one's vote from one party to another over this issue makes about as much difference as shifting it over most other issues.