Transparency and accountability vs abuse of power and secrecy

In Great Britain, a refreshing story has emerged about the new British Prime Minister, David Cameron, launching an unprecedented inquiry into whether British security services were involved in the torture of terrorism suspects. Although most of the American media outlets will index the story as a test of British-American relations, the more important aspect of the story reflects a country more concerned about transparency in government and the pursuit of the law rather than the abuse of power and secrecy under the guise of national security and the fighting terrorism.

While the American owned media outlet Time Magazine classified the inquiry as “unprecedented” and could cause British and American relations to be strained, the decision by the new Cameron British government was most likely influenced from members of the progressive liberal democrats, which make up the other half of the British coalition government. Comparable to the Republican Party in America having to form a coalition government with a far left political group in America, this latest announcement by the Cameron government is further proof why a pluralistic multi-political party Parliamentary based system is the best form of democratic government.

The decision by the new Tory-Liberal Democratic government reflects why Great Britain is considered to have a better democracy than America and is further proof why American democracy is on the decline as a result of a corporate political complex that has put a profit motive behind the quest for perpetual war. The decision by the new British government is truly refreshing as it is evidence of a country more concerned about the rule of law and transparency than secrecy, the violation of human rights, and the abuse of power.

Contrary to conventional wisdom in America, the British inquiry will help diminish the threat of terrorism against its citizens in England by demonstrating that Great Britain is a democratic country governed by the rule of law. The inquiry will also help to restore the British people’s faith in their intelligence services and reassure British citizens that their intelligence agencies are not above the law and can be held accountable for their actions.