The Zircon affair was an incident in 1986 that raised many important issues in the British constitution. 1986 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is part of the series Politics of the United Kingdom Parliament Crown House of Lords    Lord Chancellor House of Commons    Speaker Prime Minister Cabinet Government Departments Scottish Parliament    Scottish Executive National Assembly for Wales    Welsh Assembly Government Northern Ireland Assembly    Northern Ireland Executive Local government Greater London Authority...

During the winter of 1985/1986, journalist Duncan Campbell was commissioned by the BBC to make a TV documentary in its Secret Society strand. Campbell had unearthed some details on a secret spy-satellite project, code name Zircon, that had escaped the statutory financial scrutiny of the Public Accounts Committee. Over the Winter, the BBC became increasingly concerned and nervous about the programme's content and approached the government for advice. The government demanded that the programme be shelved, on the grounds of national security, and the BBC complied. 1985 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Duncan Campbell is a freelance investigative journalist and television producer who has specialised in intelligence issues, was prosecuted under the Official Secrets Act in the ABC Trial in 1978 and made the controversial series Secret Society for the BBC in 1987 (see Zircon affair). ... The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) was formed in 1927 by means of a royal charter. ... See TV (disambiguation) for other uses and Television (band) for the rock band European networks National In much of Europe television broadcasting has historically been state dominated, rather than commercially organised, although commercial stations have grown in number recently. ... Zircon was the codename for a British signals intelligence satellite, intended to be launched in 1988, before being cancelled. ... A Public Accounts Committee (PAC) is a parliamentary committee responsible for overseeing government expenditures to ensure they are effective and honest. ...

However, Campbell then wrote an article giving his account of the episode in the New Statesman magazine, just evading an injunction to prevent its publication. The matter now becoming public knowledge, opposition MP Robin Cook managed to obtain a video of the abandoned documentary and arranged a showing of it to MPs in the House of Commons. The Attorney General, Sir Michael Havers, sought an injunction in the High Court to prevent the video's showing but the application was dismissed on the basis of parliamentary privilege. The New Statesman is a left-of-centre political weekly published in London. ... An injunction is an equitable remedy in the form of a court order that either prohibits or compels (enjoins or restrains) a party from continuing a particular activity. ... MP or mp can mean any of the following: Member of Parliament Military Police Modus ponens Madhya Pradesh - a state in India Mathematical Physics Microprocessor Molecular Pathology Multi-port Multi-platform Mission Possible - a Christian based childrens ministry. ... The Right Honourable Robert Finlayson Cook (born February 28, 1946) is a British Labour Party politician, who was Foreign Secretary of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2001. ... Her Majestys Attorney General for England and Wales, usually known as the Attorney General, is the chief legal adviser of the Crown in England and Wales. ... Robert Michael Oldfield Havers (March 10, 1923 - April 1, 1992) was known as Sir Michael Havers from being knighted in 1972 until being created Lord Havers in 1987 on his appointment as Lord Chancellor. ... The term High Court could refer to one of the following institutions: High Court of England and Wales High Court of Australia The Four Courts of Ireland The High Court of Justiciary in Scotland And the 18 High Courts of India The High Court of Andhra Pradesh The High Court... Parliamentary privilege is a legal mechanism employed within the legislative bodies of countries whose constitutions are based on the Westminster system. ...

Frustrated, the Attorney General organised a briefing on the matter for the Speaker of the House of Commons, based on confidentiality steming from their common membership of the Privy Council. That day, the Speaker ruled that no part of the Palace of Westminster was to be used for the showing of the video, pending a report by the Committee of Privileges. There was much political consternation at the ruling. The term Speaker is usually the title given to the presiding officer of a countrys lower house of parliament or congress (ie: the House of Commons or House of Representatives). ... A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a nation, especially in a monarchy. ... The Palace of Westminster lies on the bank of the River Thames in the heart of London. ... The Committee on Standards and Privileges of the UK House of Commons was established in 1995 to replace the earlier Committee of Privileges. ...

However, by this time, copies of the video had been obtained by various civil liberties organisations who had arranged public showings around the UK. The government were now placed in a difficult situation. The showings would be in clear violation of the Official Secrets Acts but prosecution under the acts is only possible with the permission of the Attorney General and there was a danger of an escalating political crisis. The Attorney General stayed his hand and the matter soon faded in the public interest. Civil liberties are protections from the power of governments. ... The phrase official secrets act may also be used to refer to statutes of a similar nature in other countries. ...

The Committee of Privileges subsequently recommended that showing the video would fall outside proceedings in parliament and was, therefore, not protected by privilege. They further recommended that the Speaker's actions had been wholly proper.

Bibliography

• Bradley, A.W. (1987) “Parliamentary privilege and the Zircon affair”, Public Law, Spring, pp1-3
• - (1987) “Parliamentary privilege, Zircon and national security” Public Law, Winter, pp488-495
• Milne, A. (1989) D.G.: Memoirs of a British Broadcaster ISBN 0340497505