The rollback of transparency

Transparency, once a 'conditio sine qua non' for democracy and good governance, is suffering a clear backlash in Europe.

In a post-Occupy, post-Wikileaks world, transparency has nestled in the public consciousness. Outraged by the abuses of power, people took to the streets demanding more say in decisions influencing their lives and more accountability by political leaders. People demanded better representation and they knew transparency was crucial to get it.

Yet at the same ti...