Accountable transparency and MEPs

My Umbrella Blog colleague The Huntsman applauds progress being made with disclosures under the Freedom of Information Act, with the present spotlight on MPs' expenses. We are only halfway to our destination.

On the financial front, think of Freedom of Information as a stepping stone towards accountable transparency. Click the label below to see previous posts. But the key point is that all state financial transactions are recorded on the web, so that we can see what they have spent our money on without having to submit (significant word) a request (significant word) each time we want to know something - and then wait.

If MPs' expenses are an Augean stables, what are we to say of spending by MEPs? This is the milieu which Open Europe have chosen to swim in. They have e-mailed UK MEPs inviting them to participate in their "European Parliament Transparency Initiative".

The enquiry focuses on employment of family members and particularly the EU arrangements for "paying agents". Open Europe write (surely tongue in cheek):

We believe disclosure of these details will help to restore trust that public money is being well spent. Our aim in this initiative is to restore confidence in the Parliament and MEPs of all parties. We will be publishing regular reports on the progress of the initiative.

Mr Pottering recently remarked that if he employed a family member it would be the end of his German political career. In the UK we see the transparency debate moving fast. This leads to the questions:

• What are the practices in EU states?
  
  
• Should states seek from their MEPs publication of their EU parliamentary expenses according to both EU and their own national rules?
  
  
• Across the EU, what can be considered best practice?

Doubtless Open Europe will raise these issues when the responses of MEPs to their transparency initiative prove to be less than full-hearted.

The over-riding principle here is that the state is not spending its own money. It's ours. That money belongs to the people.

We the people are entitled to see how our money is spent. This is the simple argument for accountable transparency. All state spending should be itemised on the internet.

So accountable transparency is the new democracy.

That is the destination. Congratulations to Open Europe for championing this principle for MEPs' spending.