The Freedom of Information Act

Although nobody in power in Britain has ever been able to be trusted, it wasn’t until the Freedom of Information Act of 2000 that members of the public were able to request information from public bodies and authorities. It was a manifesto commitment of the Labour Party in the 1997 general election, something alleged war criminal Tony Blair came to bitterly regret. He wrote in his memoir, “There is really no description of stupidity, no matter how vivid, that is adequate. I quake at the imbecility of it.” (Blair, 2010, p. 516).

In an interview with The Guardian, he whined that it was, “not practical for government,” and that transparency would lead to caution in difficult decisions (Kettle, 2010). He feared that being frank would retroactively, under scrutiny, lead to a public uproar. Unfortunately, uproar rarely leads to consequences in this country.

Government statistics show that there were 51,507 FOI requests received in 2021, which was a 17% increase from 2020 (Cabinet Office, 2022). This shows the importance of transparency and accountability in governance, but also a willingness from individuals to go for the source themselves rather than rely on legacy media or blind trust in authority.

FOIA requests are an essential tool for journalists as a source of information gathering and truth seeking. Disclosure is never in the best interest of those in power, so any way of sneaking a look behind the curtain is invaluable. The press – and the public – have a moral right to view the policies, public spending and decision making regarding everything from potholes to pot laws. Democracy dies in darkness, as they say.

It’s easy to sound idealistic and naïve, but the Guardian’s 2009 investigation into MPs’ expenses, which exposed widespread abuse of the system, was based on FOIA requests. (Templeton, 2009). The House of Commons Justice Committee, in 2012, concluded that, “The right to access public sector information is an important constitutional right.” (House of Commons, 2012).

 

References

Blair, T. (2010).  A Journey. Hutchinson, London.

Cabinet Office. (2022, April 27). National statistics. Freedom of Information statistics: annual 2021 bulletin. https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/freedom-of-information-statistics-annual-2021/freedom-of-information-statistics-annual-2021-bulletin

House of Commons Justice Committee. (2012, July 26). Post-legislative scrutiny of the Freedom of Information Act 2000. https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201213/cmselect/cmjust/96/96.pdf

Kettle, M. (2010, September 1). World exclusive Tony Blair interview. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2010/sep/01/tony-blair-a-journey-interview

Templeton, T. (2009, December 27). The scandal of MPs’ expenses. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/dec/27/mps-expenses