Secrets and lies.

Big, big question - how do you square representative democracy with secrecy? If we elect a government to work on our behalf, what right have they to conceal what they are doing from us? As an ex Civil Servant, I know all about the Official Secrets Act, and I'm well aware that, despite its title, its main use (mostly as a threat) is to protect the Government and Civil Service from potentially embarrassing revelations. So spare a thought for David Keogh, who was so appalled by the contents of the minutes of a meeting between Blair and Bush that he felt Parliament should know what had been discussed, and to that end ensured that a copy of the minutes was seen by an MP. He has now been jailed for 6 months for his trouble. I don't know what was in the minutes any more than you do, but I reckon we can both make a good guess at the sort of thing which so disturbed Mr Keogh, and to my mind he should be applauded for what he did (or rather, tried to do) rather than punished. Like I say, if Blair is purporting to act on my behalf, why should I be prevented from knowing what he's doing?