All Cabinet Ministers and other senior ministers are still sworn in as Privy Counsellors for life. The oath (which dates back to the thirteenth-century and has been described as Britain's oldest secrecy provision) commits them to keep all advice to… — Clive Ponting Copy Share Image
...a Conservative backbencher called Margaret Thatcher managed, despite front bench opposition, to get enacted her Public Bodies (Admission to Meetings) Act 1960, which was… — Clive Ponting Copy Share Image
...this initiation ceremony, known as 'signing the Official Secrets Act', has no legal force; everyone is bound by the Act whether they sign the… — Clive Ponting Copy Share Image
All Cabinet Ministers and other senior ministers are still sworn in as Privy Counsellors for life. The oath (which dates back to the thirteenth-century… — Clive Ponting Copy Share Image
Despite the creations of new sections, secret intelligence activity remained mistrusted and neglected in military circles, although there were a few enthusiasts like Baden-Powell,… — Clive Ponting Copy Share Image
Until the late-nineteenth-century the House of Commons maintained a formal ban on the reporting of its debates. — Clive Ponting Copy Share Image
