Comments on: The cost of transparency and accountability http://www.mattmcalister.com/blog/2009/05/12/397/the-cost-of-transparency-and-accountability/ Inside Online Media Mon, 15 Mar 2010 17:29:07 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Tony Hirst http://www.mattmcalister.com/blog/2009/05/12/397/the-cost-of-transparency-and-accountability/comment-page-1/#comment-186102 Tony Hirst Sat, 16 May 2009 14:35:15 +0000 http://www.mattmcalister.com/blog/?p=397#comment-186102 I think I agree with you that it has all got a little bit out of hand! Take the perspective that if MPs had been told to treat the expenses as an entitlement to be acquired howsoever, and most of the claims fall out as a result. However, what I have started thinking is that by piling on the pressure, and maybe starting to link and reconcile OTHER data sources to the expense claims data, the MPs who are voting through legislation relating to data collection and preservation may start to realise just a few of the possible consequences of such actions....? After all, there are unintended consequences, and then there are predictable consequences... I think I agree with you that it has all got a little bit out of hand! Take the perspective that if MPs had been told to treat the expenses as an entitlement to be acquired howsoever, and most of the claims fall out as a result.

However, what I have started thinking is that by piling on the pressure, and maybe starting to link and reconcile OTHER data sources to the expense claims data, the MPs who are voting through legislation relating to data collection and preservation may start to realise just a few of the possible consequences of such actions….?

After all, there are unintended consequences, and then there are predictable consequences…

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