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Palgrave Macmillan

Secrecy and Open Government

Why Governments Want you to Know

  • Book
  • © 1999

Overview

Authors:
  1. K. G. Robertson
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Table of contents (13 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-vii
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  2. Introduction

    • K. G. Robertson
    Pages 1-7

  3. The Morality of Secrecy: the Philosophy and Politics of State Secrecy

    • K. G. Robertson
    Pages 9-23

  4. Surveillance and Secrecy

    • K. G. Robertson
    Pages 25-39

  5. The End of Whitehall? Reform of the British Civil Service

    • K. G. Robertson
    Pages 41-56

  6. Accountable Government?

    • K. G. Robertson
    Pages 57-66

  7. Data Protection, Privacy and Limited Rights of Access

    • K. G. Robertson
    Pages 67-77

  8. Listening In

    • K. G. Robertson
    Pages 79-84

  9. Official Secrecy

    • K. G. Robertson
    Pages 85-95

  10. Defending the Realm: MI5

    • K. G. Robertson
    Pages 97-109

  11. The Democratisation of UK Intelligence?

    • K. G. Robertson
    Pages 111-124

  12. Overseas Experience: FOI in Canada, Australia and New Zealand

    • K. G. Robertson
    Pages 125-139

  13. Freedom of Information in the UK

    • K. G. Robertson
    Pages 141-156

  14. Conclusion

    • K. G. Robertson
    Pages 157-160

  15. Back Matter

    Pages 161-202
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Keywords

About this book

Does the Labour Government's commitment to Freedom of Information mean the end of excessive secrecy in the UK? Why has Britain finally decided to join the many other countries that enjoy a 'right to know'? This book places the current UK debate over open government in its political context. Robertson argues that just as secrecy reflected the interests of the powerful, so too does freedom of information. This is a radical and challenging alternative to the conventional view that open government is concerned with empowering 'the people'.

About the author

K.G. ROBERTSON previously taught sociology at the University of Reading and was Director of Security Studies in the Graduate School of European and International Studies. He now runs his own intelligence management consultancy, AnalyticA Research. In 1993 he formed the Security and Intelligence Studies Group (SISG), a specialist group of the Political Studies Association, which has established itself as the leading UK body for the academic study of security intelligence issues. He is the author of six book and many articles on aspects of risk, intelligence and secrecy. His books include British and American Approaches to Intelligence, and Public Secrets - A Study in the Development of Government Secrecy.

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