Dave McGowan. flickr/photographer Andrew Moreton. Some rights reserved. Leaks and exposés are central to our political lives. From leaks during the climax of the US election to revelations about Theresa May’s views on Brexit, their steady drip is aimed at eroding the structures of unaccountable politics. As important as the immediate (if ambiguous) effect of leaks may be, what they tell us about how politics is understood in contemporary liberal democracies is more significant.
First and foremost, the emphasis placed on leaks is indicative of a general distrust of politicians. For example, Americans’ trust in government has trended downwards for 60 years, from a high of 77% in 1964 to a low of 19% today. The British public trusts politicians marginally more at 22%. The sense that politicians and government are hiding something from us underpins the prominence of leaks. This translates into a belief that politicians are not acting in the best interests of the public. Only 19% of Americans believe that government is run for the benefit of all. 75% view corruption in government as widespread. This resonates with the wider atmosphere of distrust of politicians.
Less apparent, but more fundamental, is the way in which ‘leaky’ politics have been shaped by the generally unacknowledged consensus that politics is about information as such. Once information is given pride of place, our understanding of what politics is changes. Rather than competition between opposed but possibly legitimate interest groups struggling over social and economic issues, lack of information becomes the defining political problem – if only we knew more we could make the right choice.
