Nick Clegg speech to Demos and the Open Society Foundation Clegg speech SOT The third characteristic of an open society is the sharing of knowledge...
{"Image ImageDescription": "Nick Clegg speech to Demos and the Open Society Foundation; Clegg speech SOT\n- The third characteristic of an open society is the sharing of knowledge and information. In a closed society the elite think that, for the masses, ignorance is bliss. But in an open society there is no monopoly of wisdom. So transparency is vital. That is why the Freedom of Information Act was a quintessentially open society measure. It is unfortunate that Blair now says he regrets passing it. The Coalition Government is extending FOI to other bodies, and also reducing the 30-year rule to 20 years. Transparency is not just necessary in government activities. There is a good case for it in a range of areas within the private sector, too - such as bonuses, gender pay gaps and environmental activities. And indeed earnings differentials, to help restrain excessive top pay. That's why the Coalition Government has recently completed a call for evidence on options in this area, and we'll be looking very hard at the results in the next few weeks. We also need a positive approach to the freedom of our press. A free press is absolutely central to an open society in which information is dispersed, corruption is exposed, and the powerful are kept honest. That is why we are already taking far-reaching action to reform England's libel laws, so that public-spirited journalists are not muzzled by the threat of litigation by big businesses and wealthy individuals. But we must also remember that media outlets serve commercial interests. So this calls for, firstly, a credible approach to media regulation and governance. The Leveson Inquiry must be enabled and encouraged to do a thorough job. \n- Second, ensuring diversity of ownership. A corporate media monopoly threatens a free press almost as much as a state one. We must be just as vigilant against vested interests in the media as in politics or business, and ensure genuine plurality. \n- The fourth feature of an open society is a fair distribution of...", "Image Copyright": "POOL"}