British government programme supports transparency

The new British governing coalition presented its five-year programme this week. The conservative daily The Times is optimistic: "Buried in the coalition document is one lever that will help enormously in handing power to the people. This is the commitment to transparency. Public bodies will have to publish job titles online - perhaps ending a proud tradition of Private Eye satire - with the salaries and expenses of senior officials. Central government will publish all spending and contracts over £25,000, and local councils will have to publish contracts and tender documents in full, which should make it easier for new contractors to break into cosy relationships with authorities. ... Automatic publication of information is an almost costless way to give power to the people. Out would go the need for complicated analysis at the centre, or for decisions about how much to keep secret. In would come journalists and citizens capable of doing the analysis themselves."

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