Vlikardo backs Colonel B gag

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The House of Commons includes arch Parliamentarian, Michael Foot, and fake left lan Mikardo, has approved censorship of the Press by the Director of Public Prosecutions and increased state control over Parliament.

The Committee upheld the Director's right to threaten newspaper radio and TV with prosecution last April if they continued to publicise the name of Colonel B-a prosecution witness in the Official Secrets Trial of Aubrey, Berry and Campbell.

Prosecuted

His name was given by four MPs in the House of Commons as part of the BBC campaign and because Peace News, The Leveller and The Journalist were being prosecuted for contempt of court for naming him.

Immediately under the protection of Parliamentary priviles his name was broadcast on TV and named in the Press.

The Director of Public Prosacutions-T.C. Heatheringtonpromptly sent a warning to all editors. "It is not accepted despite the naming of the Colonel on the floor of the House of Commons that the publication of his name we uld not be a contempt of court e ven if it was part of a report of the proceedings in the House"

Improbable

The Privileges Committee ruled that it was "improbable' that such reports should be protected by privilege-hitherto held . to have protected all reports of Parliament. They also ruled that the Director was "fully entitled to reserve his position"

The Committee may yet go further and attack privilege in the House of Commons itself. The question of whether the four Labour MPs-Jo Richardson, Ron Thomas, Robert Kilroy Silk and Christopher Price-should be condemned for naming Colonel B is to be further examined.

This seemingly minor question could openly reveal for the first time in hundreds of years the sham of Parliamentary privilege when it conflicts with the interests of the state.