Does the Labour Government's commitment to Freedom of Information mean the end of excessive secrecy in the UK? Why has Britain finally decided to join the many other countries that enjoy a 'right to know'? This book places the current UK debate over open government in its political context. Robertson argues that just as secrecy reflected the interests of the powerful, so too does freedom of information. This is a radical and challenging alternative to the conventional view that open government is concerned with empowering 'the people'.

K.G. ROBERTSON previously taught sociology at the University of Reading and was Director of Security Studies in the Graduate School of European and International Studies. He now runs his own intelligence management consultancy, AnalyticA Research. In 1993 he formed the Security and Intelligence Studies Group (SISG), a specialist group of the Political Studies Association, which has established itself as the leading UK body for the academic study of security intelligence issues. He is the author of six book and many articles on aspects of risk, intelligence and secrecy. His books include British and American Approaches to Intelligence, and Public Secrets - A Study in the Development of Government Secrecy.