Sungmin and I attended Open Tec 2009 last Saturday and heard a talk given by Heather Brooke. Upon listening to her account, it reminded and amazed us that from small acorns of ideas unexpected outcomes and major changes occur. Who could have predicted the outcome? So I dug out an article that I cliped back in May.
(The Guardian, Friday 15 May 2009)
“campaigning journalist Heather Brooke has spent the last five years fighting tooth and nail for MPs to come clean about their expenses ...”
“I first telephoned the House of Commons about expenses, back in 2004 …. I didn't intend to bring a plague on all politicians' houses. But I was interested in our opaque parliamentary expenses system…”
“a five-year investigation, and take me to the high court”
“I wanted the detail. That's where you find the truth”
“in 2006. My request for details on second homes was rejected”
“Commons presented its two favourite arguments:
privacy and security”
“…rallied against me were a posse of lawyers and government officials, including the head of the House of Commons Fees Office Andrew Walker … FOI officer Bob Castle, the treasury solicitor and assistant and an outside barrister. All paid for with taxpayers' money.”
“….on 16 May the judges ruled in my favour ….”
“…Commons announced they would publish all MPs receipts in October 2008…October came and went and no expenses…”
“What's unforgiveable is that the House of Commons repeatedly obstructed legitimate requests”
No comments:
Post a Comment