Heather Brooke: your right to know
Tuesday, May 12, 2009 Freedom of information campaigner Heather Brooke (left) was a special guest at a Free Society event at last year's Conservative Conference in Birmingham.
Author of Your Right to Know, "a citizens’ guide to using the Freedom of Information Act and accessing official information", Heather famously won a High Court victory forcing Parliament to release details of MPs' expenses. Without her efforts the truth may never have come out, but we can't rely on leaks to the media. Parliament itself must publish the relevant information without censorship.
Today, in conjunction with the Taxpayers' Alliance, Heather has launched an online petition demanding the publication of all details of MPs' expenses:
The House has had four years to prepare for freedom of information and there is no excuse for the obstruction and continued delays that have prevented the people seeing directly how our MPs spend taxpayers’ money.
Please sign the petition HERE.
You can read Heather's blog on her website HERE.
Reader Comments (6)
Gordon Brown said it all when he announced that over a million expense claims from the last 4 years will be scrutunised - a million plus? That in itself is scandalous in my book and should have set the alarm bells ringing.
Lyn. He is only doing this now to try and con voters. He should be servicing time at Her Majesty's Pleasure like any common criminal. No one is supposed to be above the LAW.
I've heard several people on the radio saying there should be fewer MPs.
Why?
It sounds to me like a diminution of democracy to have fewer MPs. Presumably this is why it is now being touted.
I agree with you Alun, although you may have missed my point which re-reading my message was not terribly clear. My point was the fact that there have been as many as a million plus expenses claims over 4 years seems to me to be excessive in the first place!
As for fewer MP's Idlex, I think that is a knee jerk reaction to this expenses business - fewer mps, fewer expenses. On the other hand, I am sure that many of them don't do much for their money, instead using it to boost an already large salary they are gaining elsewhere, as an advisor, or something! Positions, anyway, that they probably would not have got had they not been an MP!
Heather, I think you have done a wonderful job since if you had not done what you have done we would never have known just how greedy British MPs are. Thank you for exposing the greed and corruption that was going on in Parliament and in the Government too. Now I hope we get a General Election and get all these greedy MPs thrown out of office.
Heather you are awsome , i will be doing some of this here in the U.S . most of these politicians at first seem fine but i imagine being surrounded by all the money and power it all goes to their head and with no one to monitor them its a very corruptible environment.
once again thanks for all you do to get the truth out. keep up the good work and be careful.