The internet is a great tool for transparency in public life
Perhaps it is one of those eternal truths that we are more likely to try and get away with
something when we think that no one is looking. There are many examples of
this, not least the current MPs' expenses debacle.
Who is to
blame for this is perhaps not as important as the fact that the system - the
processes by which Parliament manages MPs' expense claims - is at best opaque. At
last night's Hansard Society event celebrating the 10th anniversary
of the Scottish Parliament, former
Scottish Deputy First Minister Lord Wallace noted that there has been little
controversy or scandal over MSPs' expenses. Why? Because the system was
designed to be transparent and publish them
online every three months. A system such as this leaves little ‘wiggle
room'.
This is a
clear example of where the internet becomes a powerful ally of democracy. By
using a system that automatically records and then publishes expenses data, the
Scottish Parliament has not only avoided the sort of unseemly controversy that
now dogs Westminster but it has gone further in creating a feeling of openness
and accountability to the electorate.
At the UK Parliament, David Cameron has led the
call for the online publication of expenses. The Conservatives have followed
this up with publication
of the Shadow Cabinet's expenses this week and other
MPs are individually following suit. Veteran Labour backbencher Frank Field was one of the first to
publish and remains one of the few MPs not just to publish a summary but scans
of all the documentation relating to his expenses.
These are
the first fledgling steps to a more transparent system and it is only with such
a system in place that Parliament can start rebuilding public trust in it. The
internet's role in this process is pivotal as it allows easy access to the
information. More importantly, open data enhances accountability even more and expense
claims published through an accessible API will allow others to analyse them,
map them and create mashups using the data.
Andy Williamson