All governments don't like leaks

Well, that is not strictly true. Governments like to leak themselves to drive the news agenda and to make their enemies - whether in opposition parties or within the party of government - look bad. But governments do hate leaks that go against them because leaks reveal embarrassing material, make them look not in control of events, and not in control of the news agenda.

Mandelson has told Sky News today: "I also have to say I think that for many Conservatives, it is a self-serving smokescreen, behind which to hide their own apparent collusion with a Home Office official who was allegedly systematically leaking Home Office papers to the Conservative Party, in order to pursue his own personal political ambition. I would like to know from the Conservatives whether their frontbench and their leader knowingly colluded with that civil servant in riding a coach and horses not only through the Civil Service code but also through the law."

Talk about a smokescreen of his own! Oppositions have to use leaks because of the secretive nature of British government. The Freedom of Information Act is no where near as open as in the United States and thus oppositions need to supplement the information they can acquire officially via FOI requests with leaks. Leaks can also prove far more timely as this government often fights the release of information under FOI. When the information finally does get revealed, its political significance is often diminished. Mandelson has taken the high and mighty approach talking about the Civil Service code but he will be acutely aware that Labour hugely benefited from leaks when opposition, and no politician more so than Gordon Brown.

Mandelson is therefore being disingenuous. This post is not intended to make an overtly party political point other than to highlight the Labour government's hypocrisy towards leaks. The point is that when in opposition a party will embrace leaks. When in government they will rail against them. The Conservatives, like Labour, will no doubt turn against government leaks when they return to government. They will try and stop them and no doubt will criticise them to. But hopefully the next Conservative government will not take leak inquiries to the extremes Labour has and seek the arrest of civil servants and MPs who have not violated the Official Secrets Act.