Secrets No. 1
Newspaper of the 1984 Campaign for Freedom of Information No.1 Political Leaders back call for freedom of information lOur rlgh to know' The most substantial British campaign Individual activists in the campaign ever for freedom of information and a included Bernard Donoughue, former statutory "right to know" has been No. 10 Downing Street advisor; launched with such clear and categori- Harold Evans, former editor of The cal support from the leaders of all Times and The Sunday Times; Peter opposition parties that success at least Jay, former UK Ambassador to Wash- in the longer term appears inevitable. ington, and Chairman of the National The Chairman ofthe 1984 Commit- Council for Voluntary Organisations; tee, Des Wilson, read to a press confer- Michael Shanks, Chairman of the ence to launch the Campaign for Free- National Consumer Council; Dame dom ofInformation on January 5 sup- Elizabeth Ackroyd, former Director portive letters from Neil Kinnock, of the Consumers' Association, and David Steel, and David Owen, and now Chairman of the Patients' Asso- named over 150 Members of Parlia- ciation; and television campaigner ment and 50 Members of the House of Esther Rantzen. Lords who supported the broad objec- The campaign's broad objectives tives of the campaign. are headed by a drive to secure a statu- Neil Kfnnock stated that: "A thriv- tory right of access to all information ing democracy depends on clear, full held by government and other public information, fairly presented, for all sector bodies, other than that for which our citizens. Information is the lever of sl?ecific statutory protection is pro- power and in a free society free people Vided, and to place on these bodies an should have maximum access to and "I welcome and support "I pledge the full support "Government is too obligation to disclose such informa- control over that lever.
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