Government Secrets

Private Eye, the UK's best and only fortnightly satirical magazine, is always keen to highlight rank hypocrisy amongst the great and good.

So I had to laugh at this entry for the Secret Diary of Sir John Major, the former Tory Prime Minister, who has been waxing eloquent about the need for Tony Blair to share his personal correspondence with George Bush while keeping resolutely 'schtum' about his clandestine affair with Edwina Currie, a fellow Tory MP and Government health minister.

Funny that.   


Monday

I was not inconsiderably annoyed at the news that my successor in Number 10 Downing Street, Mr Tony Blair (who incidentally has never been given a Knighthood of the Garter, oh no) has refused to disclose his personal correspondence with the President of America, Mr George Bush.

"This is a disgrace," I told my wife Norman over breakfast, as I tucked into my Farage's Fruitloops, my new favourite cereal. "In my judgment, a prime minister should not be permitters to hide any secrets from the electorate. His every action should be transparent and open to public scrutiny."

"Oh good,," said Norman, accidentally tipping a pot of in no small measure scalding hot coffee over my head. "In that case, we look forward to reading all your love letters to that appalling woman whose name I will not mention."

"You mean Mrs Thatcher?" I replied.

"You know very well to whom I am referring," said Norman, apparently as usual missing the point about the necessity of total confidentiality over the conduct of top political affairs.

Oh yes.