麻豆社

A really important story on the Nolan Show about what happens when a citizen tries to defend their reputation against powerful public bodies. This morning we reveal how the Public Services Ombudsman threatened a man with contempt, for sharing a report that was about him. That's the Public Services Ombudsman that's there to ensure you are "served by a fair and efficient public administration that is committed to accountability, openness and quality of service." That citizen waited three years for her report - and is now being told he can't share it with anybody. Here's the story - a report was on the Charity Commission's website which was inaccurate about this man. The Ombudsman investigated - and found in his favour. But they then told him he couldn't tell anybody. Gregory Burke mentioned the Ombudsman's report - and some of her findings - in an email to government officials - and that was enough for Marie Anderson to write to him and threaten him with contempt. She went further - she threatened that he would be "fixed with all legal costs". That's the bottomless resources of the state threatening one individual citizen with legal costs. He found that terrifying - who wouldn't? Gregory Burke was involved in a dispute with the Charity Commission. He won a dispute with them in a Charity Tribunal, and thought that was that. But it wasn't. Stephen spoke to Greg about what happened next - and then got reaction from legal expert Joshua Rozenberg, Newsletter political editor Sam McBride and former UUP MLA Ross Hussey.