The Silent State: Secrets, Surveillance and the Myth of British Democracy

by Heather Brooke

Award-winning investigative journalist Heather Brooke exposes the shocking and farcical lack of transparency at all levels of government. At a time when the State knows more than ever about us, Brooke argues that without proper access to the information that citizens pay for, Britain can never be a true democracy. *SECRECY*: anonymous bureaucrats, clandestine courts, men in tights and the true cost of 'public' information. *PROPAGANDA*: spin, PR and bullshitting by numbers. The British government spent £38m more on advertising last year than their closest competitor, Proctor and Gamble - find out what they spent it on! *SURVEILLANCE*: discover the extent of Britain's network of databases spying on ordinary citizens, *EXPENSES*: read, for the first time, the exclusive and definitive account of Brooke's five-year campaign to have MPs' expenses revealed, which rocked the nation and transformed Britain's political landscape.

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction, History, Ebooks

288 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Heather Rose Brooke (born 1970) is an American journalist and freedom of information campaigner. Resident since the 1990s in the UK, she is best known for her role in helping to expose the 2009 United Kingdom parliamentary expenses scandal, which culminated in the resignation of House of Commons Speaker Michael Martin.

Brooke is Professor of Journalism at City University London's Department of Journalism. She is the author of Your Right to Know (2006), The Silent State (2010), and The Revolution Will Be Digitised (2011).

Reviews

[✨arrianne✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

An introduction to the way the government works, and doesn’t. Through FOI requests, the author discovered the MPs’ expenses scandal and various other ways they want everything from us while just doing whatever they damn well please. Do not read if you don’t want to go all Guy Fawkes.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anyone who votes need to read this as working under a government department I can confirm that very little has changed in the 5 years since this publication. I went from shock to outrage to pure fury by the end of this investigative report from Heather Brooke (famous for helping expose the 2009 MP expenses scandal). The the public and their money are treated - by those who are meant to be there to help - is so wrong and filled with so much pointless bureaucracy (which those in the public sector poorly argue the important of) that I'm seriously debating my choices in the coming election even more seriously. Very much an eye opener for the average citizen (like myself)!

[Godzilla · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of those books which really makes you pause and question things.

The term democracy is bandied around almost without thinking, but soem basic omissions and problems are laid very bare here.

The tangle of bureaucracy and obstruction put in place beggars belief at times.

There are fascinating insights into the workings of local govenrment, the justice system and of course the recent MPs expenses scandal.

Very readable and very enlightening, but encouraging to see that some changes have already taken place.

[Richard Ninnim · Rating 4 out of 5]

as it is a few years old some of it may be a little outdated, however having said that it's still an interesting insight into how we are still being kept in the dark in a society where freedom of speech and information is only wording actual access to these is still so restricted it's untrue. Most of this some people already know, if you have ever tried to get information from any government body or during the last labour government was on a waiting list then you will know how so many facts and figures are massaged and manipulated. while waiting g for an operation I was put on a waiting list to go on the waiting list therefore it looked like I only waited 7 months when in fact I has waited 13 from seeing the doctor.
a good read overall and will.open some people's eyes to the kind of country we live in.

[Ricardo Lopes Moura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Investigação jornalística que aponta os principais podres de um Estado britânico que se esconde por trás do secretismo da sua burocracia, relações públicas e de um conjunto de regras para os cidadãos e outro para os funcionários públicos, que veem os primeiros como inimigos.

[Anaya Laytor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very old by the time I'm reading it but was a fantastic read. The state of the UK government has only deteriorated more, would love to read something updated soon.

[A J Tyers · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read, a wake up call to all of us, before our rights to information and privacy disapears

[TomF · Rating 4 out of 5]

A slightly annoying but definitely informative read by the journo who was key to the expenses scandal breaking. In a wide ranging look at how info is withheld from us, from local councils up to the embroidered pomposities of Parliament, via law courts and police stats, she turns over a lot of stones. Her fervour does work against her at times though, leading her to describe a council cutting back on its biased local rag as an 'island of sense', having only pages before quoted stats showing hundreds taking similar actions. That may seem a reasonably small slip, but her descents into hyperbole don't help her hard-won factual assertions (her comparison of bureaucrats to Schindler's List Nazis being the most needless low point).

Whether you agree with her or not that it's always bad for the state to employ PR, her ad hoc estimation that the state has a 12:1 ratio of PR to FOI staff does give you pause for thought. You can disagree with some of her more lurid depictions of UK statism, but there's no doubt she's provided a massive service, along with others, by forcing detailed facts into the light of day (although she does point out that almost all the info has ultimately come via leaks and whistle-blowers, not official channels). She does highlight positive actions by the increasingly-independent statistics bureau etc, but the overall picture of undemocratic law-changing via 'statutory instruments', spun stats, charges for public data, and wilful obfuscation of incompetence or fraud in the name of the 'national interest' is pretty damning.

3.5+

[Paul Fadoju · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading the book I can imagine the politicians so happy to have the upper hand on Murdoch's empire. Heather Brooke gives a clear, detailed and concise information about how ignorant we all are to the behemoth power of the state. A book recommended to all, though most of us are working for the state.

[Jo Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Absolutely great read. The insight into cracking MPs expenses is fantastic.

[Anwen Garston · Rating 5 out of 5]

An important book that we should all read.

[Imaan Iddir · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good. Interesting. Read it.

[Nirjay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely brilliant book by a great journalist.

[Jón Ólafsson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some of the stories are interesting, but the analysis is not very sharp.