You may know I’ve been trying to get the Foreign Office to publish the list of wines and spirits held in the Ministerial Wine Cellar. Despite the Prime Minister’s assurances that we live in the new age of transparency, the FCO are resisting my requests for the information. This week, they even declined to answer a FoI appeal within the 20 days statutory period by claiming that the visit of His Holiness the Pope left them too busy to consider the request.
I’ve written to David Cameron to ask him to intervene.
10 comments ↓
At first, I thought this wasn’t a particularly important matter and, to an extent, it still isn’t. However, I agree that it would be better to publish the details. We all like consistency.
Why didn`t you request this information when Labour was in power – after all you had 13 years. Any wine there is because Labour bought it. Why are trying tomake this an anti National Coalition Government issue?
Important to remind people that you have been asking for these details since January 2010
I have just heard you on the radio. The interviewer made the point that the gvt has to entertain ‘many dignitaries from the Middle East’. In general, such dignitaries are Muslims and therefore do not consume alcohol. In which case the stock must be for dignitaries from US, China, Japan, Europe etc.
In this coming time of Ramadan plus the alleged ‘Islamic threat’ it would be interesting to know which Muslim dignitaries drank alcohol….
Is this REALLY that much of an issue to you? If the cellar is well-stocked, would it not also have been contributed to from your party’s ‘government’?
As for Gove: there was a Labour ‘government’ for 13 years. Sandwell Council has been Labour controlled for way longer. If school buildings are not up to scratch, who is to blame, Tom? You CANNOT blame an incoming Government for having to make cuts that the Mr Brown YOU seemed to love so much left no alternative to.
Everyone knew that Labour morons would go on about ‘Cuts’. You – and I mean Cooper, Badham et al – really are patronising when you all criticise Gove and expect the poor, uneducated people of West Bromwich to believe it.
Lastly: maybe if Councillor Bob had foreseen that his pet project was a waste of money the Council money that has propped it up could be spent on…SCHOOLS!!
Think on, when you contemplate wine cellars.
This matter has nothing to do with any government per se; I suspect the cellars contain many bottles that pre-date the Labour administration anyway. These cellars are not managed by political parties but by civil servants anyway – this is about accountability and the principle of transparency in government, and Tom is right to bring to book those who think that they are above the ICO
Interesting. The analysis would benefit from a like for like comparison with the labour years to demonstrate that the tory argument of ‘more for less’ is not practised by the very same ministers.
it is also interesting to see weaker ministers who need additional support such as Spelman.
I reckon they’re stalling until they’ve drunk it
Great stuff, Tom!
Lets have a Buy British Wines and Bevvies campaign tio replace the expensive and often over rated imports by the wines of Britain’s hedgerows and orchards to accompany your efforts to expose the waste and extravagance.
I read this:
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/conradquiltyharper/100095806/data-transparency-is-one-coalition-policy-delivered-on-time-as-promised/
and thought of you…
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