Bleenie
03-10-2005, 01:14
Heres your Blair-Bashing op.!
Article (http://www.impeachblair.org/article24.shtml.)
Tony Blair today failed to wheedle his way out of the serious charge of breaking the ministerial code of conduct, according to a group of Plaid Cymru MPs.
Questioned during today's PMQs over his failure to produce the full text of the Attorney General’s legal opinion to Cabinet colleagues as is required under the ministerial code, Mr Blair claimed that it was not necessary for Cabinet members to receive the full advice if the Attorney General was present at the Cabinet meeting.
Speaking after Prime Minister’s Questions today, Plaid Cymru parliamentary leader Elfyn Llwyd MP said:
"This is utter nonsense. The ministerial code is quite clear; if a summary of the legal advice is given to the Cabinet, the full text must also be attached. There are no get out clauses for Tony Blair on this occasion and no amount of legal training or spin doctoring will change things.
"We know from comments made by Clare Short that a text was distributed to Cabinet members containing a summary of the legal opinion but that ministers were kept in the dark about the full advice.
"Tony Blair has shown contempt to his Cabinet colleagues, to parliament and worse of all to the people."
The Plaid Cymru MP who uncovered the breach in the ministerial code, Simon Thomas, added:
"The Prime Minister really is scraping the barrel here. The fact that the Attorney General was present at the Cabinet meeting on 17 March 2003 is neither here nor there. Section 2.23 of the ministerial code clearly states that if a summary of the opinion is presented to Cabinet, as indeed Clare Short who was a member of the Cabinet at that time has confirmed, the full text should be attached to that summary.
"It is essential that an investigation is now held into this serious breach in the ministerial code. How can Tony Blair police the ministerial code when he himself is guilty of breaching it?"
:eek:
Article (http://www.impeachblair.org/article24.shtml.)
Tony Blair today failed to wheedle his way out of the serious charge of breaking the ministerial code of conduct, according to a group of Plaid Cymru MPs.
Questioned during today's PMQs over his failure to produce the full text of the Attorney General’s legal opinion to Cabinet colleagues as is required under the ministerial code, Mr Blair claimed that it was not necessary for Cabinet members to receive the full advice if the Attorney General was present at the Cabinet meeting.
Speaking after Prime Minister’s Questions today, Plaid Cymru parliamentary leader Elfyn Llwyd MP said:
"This is utter nonsense. The ministerial code is quite clear; if a summary of the legal advice is given to the Cabinet, the full text must also be attached. There are no get out clauses for Tony Blair on this occasion and no amount of legal training or spin doctoring will change things.
"We know from comments made by Clare Short that a text was distributed to Cabinet members containing a summary of the legal opinion but that ministers were kept in the dark about the full advice.
"Tony Blair has shown contempt to his Cabinet colleagues, to parliament and worse of all to the people."
The Plaid Cymru MP who uncovered the breach in the ministerial code, Simon Thomas, added:
"The Prime Minister really is scraping the barrel here. The fact that the Attorney General was present at the Cabinet meeting on 17 March 2003 is neither here nor there. Section 2.23 of the ministerial code clearly states that if a summary of the opinion is presented to Cabinet, as indeed Clare Short who was a member of the Cabinet at that time has confirmed, the full text should be attached to that summary.
"It is essential that an investigation is now held into this serious breach in the ministerial code. How can Tony Blair police the ministerial code when he himself is guilty of breaching it?"
:eek: