Thursday 28 December 2017

Democracy and transparency

Yet more proof that this government`s commitment to the so-called "British values" of democracy and transparency cannot be taken seriously (Files on Britain`s most controversial episodes vanish from archives, 26/12/17). Not only has it repeatedly refused to release the "1.2m historical files" locked away at Hanslope Park, and so enable historians to reveal the truth about, among other things, British behaviour in the colonies during the time of the British Empire, it now appears to be complicit in the disappearance of crucial documents "after civil servants removed them from the National Archives and then reported them lost". The fact that these papers cover "some of the most controversial episodes in 20th century British history", and whose study would clearly reveal information damaging to previous governments and past establishment figures indicate that the state`s manipulation of our history continues, and transparency as far away as ever.
    A  government wishing to reveal its support for democracy would aim to remove "barriers to democratic engagement", rather than make it more difficult for any age group to vote (Plans to pilot voting ID "could hit older people", 26/12/17). Labour is right to focus on the problems caused both by the photo ID requirement, and the inaccessibility of most polling stations, which these days should surely be made more numerous, and placed in areas like supermarket entrances, and college campuses. 
   "Safeguarding our democracy" from fraud, as the minister for the constitution says, is important, but a government  experimenting with ways to ease the voting experience and increase electoral turnout, would be more convincing; after all, the record recent Tory governments have of "protecting the most vulnerable" is hardly impressive!

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