I find myself in a moral dilema.

Claire Short is whistle blowing on the bugging of the UN by British spooks. She is still a member of the Privy Council and therefore should keep silent on matters of security, but has not. However I find it hard that someone like Kofi Annan deserves to be spied upon.

25 years ago during the Cold War with Russia I was in submarines. We were often playing where we should not have. As crew members we sometimes speculated how much the opposition knew.

The game is still going on today.

If Ministers decide to blow the gaff on sensative information then it is not just a government that gets caught out, but potentially puts lives at risk.

When is a revalation not a revalation? Should Ministers who sign documents to retain state information honour their word?

Or should Ministers be able to decide themselves when and what they want to keep secret?