OPENNESS AND TRANSPARENCY ? THERE'S NO SUCH THING............ ( Article by Carp )

It never ceases to amaze me how those elected into office love to reaffirm their commitment to an era of openness and transparency. In my opinion , this pledge smacks of such blatant hypocrisy , one is left gobsmacked by the effrontery of it all.
The usual scenario for clubs and societies is that officers get re-elected time and time again on a tidal wave of apathy and inertia, with the vast majority of members unwilling to take on the reins of responsibility. Nevertheless ,  in AGM speeches the old chestnut of " striving to be more open and transparent "  is repeatedly banged out as the hallmark of the committee's ongoing commitment to be honest and accountable . Hollow words and false sentiment indeed.
The reality of the situation is very , very different. New elected committee members are immediately instructed by the more senior officers " that what goes on in committee stays in committee ". Moreover , the confidentiality of information becomes a sacred duty never to be broken. Club members must only to be told what they need know , and that the committee of course considers itself to be the best judge of their information needs. In any case members are much happier if left blissfully ignorant about issues or problems that might upset or panic them. 
So when officers are questioned about what is really going on behind the scenes , the stock answer is " read the minutes of the meetings ,  committee notices and the AGM reports . What you need to know is all in there ". Now here comes the rub....
1. Committee meetings are nearly always conducted behind closed doors
2. Minutes all too often appear months after the date of the meeting
3. Minutes are kept so brief they say virtually nothing at all
4. Silence is always perceived as no misrepresentation 
5. Minutes are skillfully worded in order to sanitise the dirty laundry that cannot be avoided 
6. Decisions are mentioned but never the reasons behind them
7. Personal interest , involvement or motives behind decisions are never declared
8. Being economical with the truth is always the guiding mantra behind any release of 
     information
9. Only one-sided, highly jaundiced versions on controversial issues are published 
10. Delaying the release of awkward information becomes the effective way of hiding it
11. Putting a positive spin on negative information is therefore the next best thing to burying it

Clearly , the aim of the game is to generate misinformation and/or disinformation so as to keep the truth from coming out into the open. Spin doctoring is not just the remit for accomplished politicians : it is a facet of The Human Condition. When knowledge is power , and control of the masses requires the control of information ,  how else would you expect rational people to behave ?