> A book club can play just as much of a role in public life as the next club. Ultimately, everything does - butterfly effect and all that. But it doesn't alwa

> A book club can play just as much of a role in public life as the next club. Ultimately, everything does - butterfly effect and all that. But it doesn't always take the form of openly intending to make it happen - eg. lobbying for a specific law. If your organization is lobbying for something, but you don't want to disclose who exactly you are, people are perfectly within their rights to be sceptical, suspect conflicts of interest etc. It's the same as speaking out in public wearing a mask. You can, but sooner or later someone will question your reasons, at least if the subject you're on about makes it seem pertinent. > We absolutely should be able to have it both ways, to choose whether or not we wish to list our book club members on the front door. This should be our choice. It is. And it's also people's free (and understandable) choice to be suspicious of secret societies which define their purpose in terms of seeking power and influence.