Open Government

[Ted Max]

http://www.google.com/news/story?pz=1&cf=all&ned=uk&hl=en&q=attorney+general+charles+letters&ncl=d1B45a95Vmt-pfMpThUu_UpXUdZbM&cf=all&scoring=d

"Much of the correspondence does indeed reflect the Prince of Wales's most deeply held personal views and beliefs. The letters in this case are in many cases particularly frank," he said.

TRANS: "He comes over as a bit of a green inker"

"They also contain remarks about public affairs which would in my view, if revealed, have had a material effect upon the willingness of the government to engage in correspondence with the Prince of Wales, and would potentially have undermined his position of political neutrality."

TRANS: "No really. This stuff gets out, he's toast as king. Plus, he's a pain in the arse. And rude."

Grieve finished: "In summary, my decision is based on my view that the correspondence was undertaken as part of the Prince of Wales's preparation for becoming king. The Prince of Wales engaged in this correspondence with ministers with the expectation that it would be confidential. Disclosure of the correspondence could damage the Prince of Wales's ability to perform his duties when he becomes king."

TRANS: "See above. Also, I'm going to pretend that this was all preparatory 'what if' hypotheising, rather than full on polticial lobbying. But on the other hand, if this stuff gets out the pretence of constitutional neutrality will be busted, so I appear to have contradicted myself"

"It is a matter of the highest importance within our constitutional framework that the monarch is a politically neutral figure able to engage in confidence with the government of the day, whatever its political colour."

TRANS: "ARE YOU READING THIS, CLARENCE HOUSE, I SAVED YOUR ARSE THIS TIME BUT GET A GRIP OF YOUR MAN AND GET HIM TO STEP AWAY FROM THE BASILDON BOND, FFS."

[RosieH]

Nice translation. And nicely buried by the powers that be alongside the Gary McKinnon story.

Charles is a one-man case for republicanism.

[Loz]

RosieH Wrote:

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> Charles is a one-man case for republicanism.

I like Charles. Yeah, he's a bit barking, but so would you be if you've spent the last half-century waiting for your mum to fall off the perch so you can get the job you've been training your life for.

I think the day Charles is king and Boris is PM will be the day this country gets a half-decent sense of humour.

[silverfox]

Ted, why do you feel you need access to such correspondence? How would such knowledge improve your life?

[Huguenot]

Why are you posting this? Who cares?

Is TM Scottish and this is the first salvo for independence?

[????]

Absolute rubbish H and SF. An heir to the throne with far wider access to politicians than you and I should not be 'overtly' political and certainly shouldn't have his potentially political interference 'hidden', which is what is happening Ian this case. It IS an affront to democracy. He can't have his cake and eat it unless he wants to end up like that other monarch who was keen on letting us eat cake.

[Ted Max]

SF - To answer your first question - because I'd like to know how someone with no official mandate has been attempting to influence government policy, and also if that lobbying had any effect. You'd have to be massively uncurious or accepting of your role as a subject to just accept it's none of your business. Let's say he's attempting to divert NHS resources into homeopathy, or change planning law, or defend hereditary rights of peers, you might want to know.

I'm open to the suggestion that as he wrote these particular letters in expectation of privacy, he's entitled to that. BUT, and it's a pretty massive but, from now on he should be keeping his big fecking nose out of it OR accept that he can have his interests but expect to be treated like everyone else (ie not be a constitutional monarch with a defined role of political neutrality in a parliamentary democracy). At the very least, let his correspondence be open and on the record.

Anyway, in the wider scheme of things, Charles lobbying for the landed gentry, pastiche architecture and prescription water on the NHS is far removed from the corporate rapine that has always troughed at the teat of government (or something - I need Snorky for this bit). All lobbying should be, as far as possible, open and transparent.

H, I cannot be defined by mere nationality. I am above such trifling, dysfunctioncal, dissonant and dissipated mundanities... (continues on for 9 paragraphs)

[maxxi]

Ted Max Wrote:

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> SF - To answer your first question - because I'd

> like to know how someone with no official mandate

> has been attempting to influence government

> policy, and also if that lobbying had any effect.

Yep. Can't help feeling that, in the past, in a small way, a cosmetic way, maybe in an insignificant "this'll please-him/shut-him-up" kinda way, that this has happened and has now become the main reason for the secrecy.

And I'm quite sure that Her Maj asking why Abu Hamza had not been deported and then him being deported after years of not being deported was a coincidental matter of timing.

Rumours that a letter complaining of "She got rid of Cpt Hook so can I keep the geek?" were influential in the McKinnon case are, apparently, unfounded.

[Brendan]

This ?could damage the Prince of Wales's ability to perform his duties when he becomes king? shit is the same as an employee saying to their boss that the boss has no right to see any of the inappropriate correspondence they have been sending and websites they have been browsing on work time and using work equipment because it could damage their chance of promotion.

[the-e-dealer]

Hasn't his ability to perform as king been badly damaged anyway?

[LadyDeliah]

Further lobbying (from his charity) on homeopathy in the NHS.

http://m.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2013/feb/13/prince-charity-lobbied-government-homeopathy

[Annette Curtain]

Bring back Spitting Image !

[LadyDeliah]

Or the Roundheads :-)