Ebook: In Defense of the Realm? The Case for Accountable Security Services

A spate of disturbing disclosures over the past five years has fuelled public disquiet about the role and activities of Britain's security and intelligence services. A former security officer has revealed that pressure groups and trade unions have been among MI5's targets. But with the new Official Secrets Act in force from January 1990, the whistleblowers have effectively been silenced. In the absence of a 'public interest defence' we are unlikely to become aware of any further misdemeanours.

"Democracies" need "security" services to "protect" their "freedoms" but they also need to ensure that these services do not abuse their considerable powers. In this book the author argues that the Government has failed to address the crucial issue of how to reconcile national security considerations with the principle of democratic accountability. Contrary to its claims, the Government's recent Security Service Act. which puts MI5 on a statutory basis for the first time, fails to define its role, to ensure its accountability to Parliament or to safeguard the rights of individual citizens. Without proper parliamentary control there can be no guarantee that the security services operate within the values of the "democratic" society they exist to "protect". The experiences of other countries such as Australia and Canada, which are explored in the book, demonstrate that a more open system is possible.

Concluding with detailed and practical recommendations for a form of parliamentary accountability which the security and intelligence services should be prepared to accept, this book provides a succinct and much-needed contribution to the current debate.