Mark Wallace: Transparent public spending

Mark Wallace, Campaign Director of The TaxPayers’ Alliance, welcomes the launch in America of a searchable online database of government spending and George Osborne's endorsement of the idea.

A few days ago USAspending.gov went live, allowing anyone to see exactly where the US Federal Government spends Americans’ tax dollars. Every Federal funding transaction is published on the web site, and details of the agencies who agree the spending, the reasons for the transactions and the recipients are all published on an easy to search database.

The idea, welcomed by George Osborne when the Bill establishing the database was passed last year, is one that can only improve the efficiency and accountability of the bodies spending taxpayers’ money. It is an example Britain would do well to follow.

Accountability should be a fundamental principle of the way Government is structured. On principle, if the taxpayer is to be forced to cough up every time they earn, spend, save or invest, the least we should receive in return is the right to see where the money is going.

In practice, scrutiny is a positive force for good in the public sector. Having the watchful eye of the public and the media focussed on public transactions would force officials and politicians to exert themselves more to get a good deal and to do what the public want. If the public sector is to be exempt from the impetus of competition, we need to make sure there are other pressures to encourage high performance, good results and value for money. Public scrutiny is just such a pressure, and it is currently sorely lacking.

Mark Wallace: Democracy and Criminal Justice must be defended

Mark Wallace is the Campaign Manager of The Freedom Association, a non-partisan pressure group committed to the defence of personal and political liberty.

On Friday of this week, John Reid will be asked for Britain’s assent to an almost unbelievable proposal. At the meeting of the EU’s Justice and Home Affairs Ministers, the Commission will present its plans for transferring Justice and Home Affairs from Pillar 3 to Pillar 1 of the EU system. In plain English, that would mean nothing less than the abolition of the national veto on criminal justice.

Home Affairs, especially those regarding crime, have long been fiercely guarded by the EU’s Member States. Having given up control of everything from farming and trade to immigration, it was absolutely right that they at least defend a key aspect of statehood: the punishment of criminals and the protection of the people.

Unfortunately, the Commission has developed quite a taste for controlling law and order. Last year the European Court of Justice set a precedent in giving the Commission the right to punish through criminal law those that breached its Environmental policies, despite vocal opposition from 10 of the 15 Member States who had signed the treaties on what they thought was a clear understanding that criminal justice was reserved for national control.

Now, the EU wants to go the whole hog. If the Home Affairs Ministers agree on Friday, and the Heads of Governments agree at the end of the year, then criminal justice and police co-operation will be transferred wholesale.