I AM afraid I may have to resign over a 'serious lapse of judgement' I made in May 1997.

It has nothing to do with agreeing to go for a meal with a complete stranger with dreadlocks whom I met while out for a midnight stroll, but is connected to putting an 'X' next to a

candidate's name on a General Election ballot form.

Obviously, to make further disclosures about this error of judgement would be very distressing to my family, so I will keep quiet about it.

Speculation, however, is surrounding the

decision with some scurrilous suggestions that I voted Labour in the hope of electing an

honest and open Government for a change.

Tired of all the sleaze and secrecy of the last lot, Tony Blair's New Labour, with the promise of a 'Freedom of Information' Act seemed to many people to offer a refreshing alternative, especially after ditching any policies of a

socialist nature, which one usually associates with the Labour Party.

I really don't care why Ron Davies ended up in Brixton getting mugged at knife point, but as he was a senior member of the Government I think the public has a right to know why both he and the Prime Minister consider him unfit for continued office.

Resigning over a 'serious lapse of judgement' is a nonsense. If that was the case Robin Cook would also have to go following the double

fiasco of his trips to India and Israel.

If telling the Indians how to solve the problem of the disputed territory of Kashmir and

turning up on an East Jerusalem housing estate to drive both the Jews and Arabs into a frenzy or recrimination were not serious lapses of judgement, I don't know what are.

And in terms of serious lapses of judgement, Home Secretary Jack Straw's handling of the Pinochet affair, and Gordon Brown's handling of the economy, makes getting mugged on the way to a meal in a stranger's flat seem minor by comparison.

From his attitude, Tony Blair seems to think that he has given the British people all the information they need to know about the Ron Davies affair.

It is an attitude of arrogance and condescension that beggers belief for someone who tells us he is a supporter of 'Open Government' and the public's 'Right to Know.'

Many people have long suspected that the Government is dragging its feet over the 'Freedom of Information' Act. The Ron Davies affair is a perfect example of why this suspicion has arisen.

Both statutory powers and common laws are repeatedly used in this country, not as they are ostensibly cited, for protecting national

security, but as a means to gag the press and prevent leaks.

The Official Secrets Act, the laws of libel, the law of confidentiality and other obscure

legislation are repeatedly brought into action to protect members of the Government and civil service from embarrassment.

They are also regularly used to impose

punitive sanctions, including jail, on those who expose the wrongdoings or civil service and Government.

Nobody in world could imagine Clive Ponting's leak about which way the cruiser Belgrano was steaming when it was sunk during the Falklands War (sorry, Conflict) had any bearing whatsoever on national security.

But the Thatcher Government wanted him jailed for releasing details of the engagement well after the war ended, simply because the information showed that the British public and Parliament had been repeatedly misled about the affair.

When in opposition politicians scream about secrecy, open Government and freedom of

information, but once elected such concerns are quietly forgotten by the urge to control information.

Sadly, when an incident like this occurs, the nation has no alternative but to rely on our

disreputable national tabloid newspapers whose reporters are more than willing to dive into the gutter and ferret out what really

happened using half-truths, scurrilous

speculation and innuendo until the true facts are forced to emerge.

It's a sad day for democracy when our Government considers we are not worthy to be informed of the full facts of the incident and we have to resort to picking through the sordid rubbish peddled by the tabloids in the hope of enlightenment.

As usual, Governments obsessed with secrecy do themselves no favours at all. If we had been informed immediately of all the ins and outs of the Ron Davies incident, it would have been forgotten in a week or two.

Instead it drags on like a running sore, discrediting the administration even further.

The views reflected in this column reflect only those of the author and not the newspaper or its publishers. Letters regarding the column or any other matter should be sent to Wharfedale Newspapers, 9 Orchard Gate, Otley, LS21 3NX.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.