The resignation of Defence Secretary Liam Fox last Friday has revealed a network of ties between lobbyists and politicians. The Prime Minister has now pledged to create a register of lobbyists. According to the Guardian the links are extensive. An FOI ruling in 2008 seem to advance the cause of transparency and the site whoslobbying already tracks this information, though it has recently complained about lack of data.
Yet the problem is not just ‘formal’ meetings, as the Guardian article points out, but the private meetings and other informal ways of accessing politicians, such as use of Parliamentary passes. In 2007 FOI was used to reveal arms industry lobbyists apparently being given access to Parliament by peers. This may not yet be the end of the struggle over passes, as this recent request shows. Minister themsleves seem to be lobbying as well as being lobbied, according to this FOI relating to William Hague and unpaid tax bills for oil companies in Uganda, and charities close to Prince Charles have also been involved in access. The big question is whether more of the formal lobbying will become informal when the register is published.
The Constitution Unit Blog 
Good thinking Peter. Potential jrruos should also understand the concept of jury nullification. Specifically, they should know that their role is not just to decide guilt/innocence but also to evalute the law. Judges and prosecutors try to play fast and loose with the facts on this one, but they know very well that jury nullification has been part of U.S. history since the colonial days (ie. the Peter Zenger case).