“Given the NIO’s usual approach to such requests..”
Sharp point made by Newton Emerson in his weekend Irish News piece about the recent difficulties of Ian Paisley Jnr and machinations within the DUP.
A question about the source of the revelations itself might also be worth asking. The information on Mr Paisley jnr’s lobbying was released by renegade MEP Jim Allister via a freedom of information request to the NIO. Given the NIO’s usual approach to such requests, it seems highly unlikely that this particular piece of information was released either unwittingly or unwillingly. Is somebody helping the DUP with its own internal peace processing?
I hope all the political hacks who have been contributing here have thrown a few quid into the tip jar.
It is pretty strange that this came out when the FOI act has exemptions for security matters, national security, international relations, internal relations, formulation of government policy and commercial interests – any one of which could have been cited for St Andrews.
This whole fiasco demonstrates the need for political parties in Northern Ireland to be forced to publically reveal who donates money to them.
The NIO won’t even release the business case for the Maze under the FOA act, something you would think would be in the public interest. (But then thats because there isn’t a business case for it. As we will soon enough discover.)
I’ve had sight of the occasional document produced on receipt of an FoI request and was somewhat surprised to see the amount of personal information that is being revealed.
If such information – in largish quantities – went AWOL on a CD or laptop computer there would be a public outcry.
I suspect the legal profession, for example, wouldn’t be to happy if they knew that the home addresses and phone numbers of their members can be assessed in this way.