Clegg: When did it become a crime to hold the Government to account?

4.34.00pm GMT Sat 29th Nov 2008

When opposition politicians heard about Damian Green's arrest, many of us asked ourselves the same question: "When did it become a crime to hold the Government to account?"

We already operate in a system where Parliament is effectively neutered, little more than a rubber stamp for legislation that ministers have already decided.

Throwing a spotlight on information the Government would rather keep hidden is an essential part of our democracy. And when dealing with an administration legendary for its secrecy, you increasingly have to rely on whistle-blowers to see the full picture.

We already operate in a system where Parliament is effectively neutered, little more than a rubber stamp for legislation that ministers have already decided.

Our political system is already in deep trouble: sinking public confidence in MPs, feeble parliamentary scrutiny, a rigid culture of Whitehall secrecy, and an electoral system that hands unprecedented powers to governments freed from any meaningful scrutiny from other parties.

This unprecedented arrest is a wake-up call. We must save our broken democracy.

Best wishes,

Nick Clegg