Transparency - Where?

The Telegraph is reporting that:

"The Government is to press ahead with controversial privatisation plans for the Royal Mail after a report it commissioned warned that ''urgent action'' was needed to protect the service, it has been announced".

In the document "The Coalition - our programme for government",  it states (section 16) that:

"The Government believes that we need to throw open the doors of public bodies, to enable the public to hold politicians and public bodies to account." 

To do that requires politicians to be truthful and for the media to report that truth when politicians fail to be truthful. With this report in the Telegraph, both the politicians and the newspaper have failed to be 'transparent'. The fact that our politicians are devious and lie is well known, hence their inability to be 'transparent'. In respect of the Telegraph, it is staffed by 'journalists' who only apparent ability to do their job entails the use of the 'cut & paste' facility on their computers.

Vince Cable, ever the devious politician, prattles:

"This update reaffirms the findings of Richard Hooper's original report and the views he has given me during the course of the summer. He paints a very clear picture - Royal Mail is facing a combination of potentially lethal challenges - falling mail volumes, low investment, not enough efficiency and a dire pension position. "We are determined to safeguard Royal Mail for the future and help it tackle these challenges. We will come forward with new legislation in the autumn. "

It is acknowledged that the lethal challenges mentioned do indeed exist, but that is not the real reason for privatising Royal Mail. It is a requirement of the European Union that all mail services of member states are opened up to competition by 2012, ergo whether the Coalition wishes to pursue this course of action or not, they have no choice.

When will the political elite learn that if they wish to be seen to be 'transparent' then it means being honest with their electorate - especially where it is a case that they are being forced into a decision as a result of our membership of the European Union - and not trying to pull the bloody wool over our eyes!