Wo! Here’s one bit of good news amid all the horrors and fatuities – Priss Choss can’t keep his bullying letters to government ministers a secret after all.
The UK supreme court has cleared the way for the publication of secret letters written by Prince Charles to British government ministers, declaring that an attempt by the state to keep them concealed was unlawful.
The verdict – the culmination of a 10-year legal fight by the Guardian – is a significant blow for the government, which has been battling to protect the Prince of Wales from scrutiny over his “particularly frank” interventions on public policy.
In 2012, Dominic Grieve, then attorney general, said the correspondence contained the prince’s “most deeply held personal views and beliefs” and disclosure might undermine his “position of political neutrality”, which he might not easily be able to recover when king.
Interesting argument, isn’t it – the priss has been the opposite of politically neutral, so that has to be kept secret, so that people will think he’s politically neutral, even though he isn’t.
The 27 letters were sent between Charles and ministers in seven government departments in 2004 and 2005. Five of the seven judges in the supreme court ruled in favour of the Guardian’s case to see the letters. The verdict was delivered on Thursday by Lord Neuberger, the president of the court.
The judges concluded that Grieve did not have the legal power to veto a freedom of information tribunal, which had decided the memos should be published.
Cameron doesn’t see it the way I do. His government might redact parts of the letters. He thinks the royals should be meddling with government, because after all, they are the royals.
Cameron said: “This is a disappointing judgment and we will now consider how to release these letters. This is about the principle that senior members of the royal family are able to express their views to government confidentially. I think most people would agree this is fair enough.”
Not a bit of it. What’s fair about it? What’s “fair” about inheriting a right to whisper in the government’s ear?
In 2012, the tribunal ruled that the correspondence between the prince and ministers in Tony Blair’s government should be made public. The tribunal said it was in the public interest “for there to be transparency as to how and when Prince Charles seeks to influence government”.
Grieve overruled the tribunal, arguing that publication of the letters between September 2004 and April 2005 would seriously damage the Prince of Wales’s kingship.
All the more reason to make them public, you fucking fool. “Oh no, you mustn’t see the letters, because if you did, you wouldn’t want him as king at any price.” “Oh well then, you’re right, keep them hidden.” Yeah that’s not how this works.
Good one, Ophelia. I’ll definitely be passing it on.
Of course, with a huge personal staff of 60 or so, Prince Chahz has a lot of free time for writing letters and stuff. And you know the old saying: “The Devil soon finds work for idle hands to do.”
UpChuck likely has no problems with the state spying on commoners who don’t commit crimes, but how dare anyone investigate bluebloods who do.
Rumours abound in some quarter that members of the royal family were directly involved in more than just politics, but in certain crimes that certain politicians did in their off hours. It makes me wonder if those letters describe or discuss any of it.
“What’s “fair” about inheriting a right to whisper in the government’s ear?”
That right should be reserved for the extremely rich, who, also, usually inherit their wealth.
Charles Windsor( who takes him seriously?) is more or less harmless compared with billionaire media barons or the CEOs of oil companies.
I don’t think there’s any “might” about it. The only sensible reason the letters aren’t already public in their entirety is because before they can be made public someone must first get busy with the big black pen.
That’s exactly how this works. You omit to mention that the letters in question date back over ten years. Why nothing more recent? Because the law has already been changed to make sure this can’t happen again. Charles can write whatever he likes, now and in the future, and there is NO legal way his letters can be made public. These few letters will be an historical curiosity. They’re emphatically not the start of greater transparency – in fact they’re the opposite, the last bit of transparency we’re likely to get. The clampdown of secrecy has already happened.
I don’t know how representative a sample this is (since it is only two), but those of my English friends who have expressed an opinion have made it clear that Prince Charles isn’t wanted as king anyway. They were “praying” (I put it in quotes because they are totally secular and don’t actually pray) that Elizabeth will outlive her son.
Charles’ main function is to ask every morning: “Is Mummy still alive?”