David Cameron is right: transparency must win the day
The Coalition has emerged from a difficult weekend without David Laws, but carries on. The crisis in Israel gives the BBC something to get exercised about, while Mr Cameron's initiative on Whitehall...
View ArticleBlago scandal: politics as usual from Barack Obama
My Sunday Telegraph column this week is about the trial of former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich and what it says about President Barack Obama. The trial is getting little coverage outside Chicago...
View ArticleToday the workings of Whitehall are exposed for all to see
Stand by for a major announcement: The Cabinet Office is about to publish the organogram of Whitehall. [Stifled yawn] I know, it sounds dull. And it doesn't help that what should be a revolutionary...
View ArticleLondon Labour councils lag badly on transparency
London’s Labour-controlled councils are far behind Tory and Lib Dem ones in transparency, new data shows. In the summer, the coalition announced that all local authorities would be required to publish...
View ArticleData transparency is one coalition policy delivered on time, as promised
The Government is making transparency look easy. As I write, I'm watching tweets from Francis Maude's announcement on the publication of a raft of new Government data. Datasets on health, education,...
View ArticleRevealed: when citizens can inspect their council's accounts
If you have an hour or two free in the next few weeks, why not drop by your local town hall and inspect your council's accounts? For 20 days in June, July or August, every council is legally required...
View ArticleEvery journalist in the pay of big government should have to declare an interest
The Guardian's George Monbiot has a new and interesting idea: journalists should be made to register their interests. He writes: Journalists are good at dishing it out, less good at taking it. We...
View ArticleMonbiot bares all
Top environmental campaigner George Monbiot has publicly disclosed his laundry list in order to show how transparent he is. This is a comprehensive list of my sources of income, and any hospitality or...
View ArticleThe case for Swedish-style tax transparency
I'm half-attracted by Polly Toynbee's suggestion that all data held by the government, including tax returns, should be open to the public. Polly thinks that Nordic-style transparency would lead to...
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