Please Tell

Democracy has gone severely wrong when the people at the top think that the rules they pass should not be applied to themselves. But with the Freedom of Information (Amendment) Act our politicians seem to have decided that they should be exempt from something that affects the rest of us mere mortals. Yes the amendment was introduced by a Tory, but it would not have passed without overwhelming Labour support. Both parties are equally culpable.

I have some concerns about the Freedom of Information Act itself. I think it is dangerous to let people have access to information that they can't understand properly. Things like league tables are inherently misleading. A hospital may appear to do worse at a certain operation than another but maybe they have more of a high risk group coming through their doors. A company may appear to have more problems with their product but maybe they are better and more honest about their reporting. If you don't understand the particular field then it is difficult to make a valued and valuable decision.

So yes, let's challenge and think about what we want the Freedom of Information act to stand for and its purpose. But don't let one group decide that it shouldn't apply to them while the rest of us have to answer to it. Anyone who has the power to bring about a law should also make sure that it applies equally to themselves. Otherwise we move from a democracy to a dictatorship.

Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?