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The real problem is that not everyone gets the PM's number. If you have it, you have a chance to get special treatment like Greensill attempted. A select few pe
by lordnacho 6y ago
The real problem is that not everyone gets the PM's number. If you have it, you have a chance to get special treatment like Greensill attempted. A select few people have the ear of government and will sell it, as demonstrated by the former PM.
I'm not sure we can continue like this, it's possible that we just need total openness, even if it makes the PM's private life a bit weird. Just complete pants down government, everything is visible to everyone. I don't really buy that secrecy benefits overrule the transparency benefits.
- dazc 6y agoDid the Guardian have special access to Tony Blair? But that's OK because only the descruction of the middle east was at stake.
- II2II 6y agoThere is a big difference between privacy in the PM's life and transparency in government. Note that I'm saying privacy here, not secrecy. The difference may be subtle to most people, but the difference is enough to matter. I would argue that politics is enough of a spectacle to discourage most people from pursuing office. Suggesting that everything is visible to everyone would discourage all but the most special breed of narcissist from pursing office. While that degree of transparency may catch transgressions that the public has a legitimate right to know, it would also expose the deeply personal and leave it open to interpretation. Put in other terms: would you want the public to judge you from your apparent emotional response to a conversation with an ailing family member? There comes a point where we have to trust our leaders judgment or, if their judgment is faulty, find other means of pursuing it.