Political memoirs are a valuable resource, but government will always require some areas of confidentiality, Tony Wright says today.
Political memoirs are a valuable resource, but government will always require some areas of confidentiality, Tony Wright says today.
Writing in this edition of Whitehall & Westminster World, the chairman of the Commons public administration committee says that it would be "naive" to believe that blanket freedom to publish would not affect relationships in government.
"The most acute difficulties relate to the relationship between ministers and officials: if advice is to be given freely and frankly, then officials have to know they will not be pilloried for what they say," he writes. "Conversely, if officials are to have full access to ministers, ministers need to trust them."
Wright, however, is keen to stress that there should always be a bias in favour of publication. "Memoirs and diaries tell us a great deal about the workings of government," he claims. "They are a source of interest to the general reader, valuable for the citizen, and a resource for future historians."
Wright’s committee recently completed an inquiry into the rules governing the publication of such memoirs – the first such review for 30 years. The investigation was prompted by the recent controversies over the publication or non-publication of memoirs from Lance Price, Sir Christopher Meyer and Jeremy Greenstock.
The committee recommended the creation of an advisory committee to help when author and government could not reach agreement. "Our proposals are designed to bring more certainty and clarity to the principles and procedures involved in the consideration of memoirs," Wright explains.
Author: Matt Mercer
Last updated 1975 days ago by Civil Service World
