Accountability, open government and record keeping: time to think again?

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to re‐visit debates around accountability, openness and record keeping and to suggest that existing assumptions need to be challenged. Design/methodology/approach This is a scholarly essay based on published and unpublished works. The focus is on parliamentary democracies where the Queen or a titular president is head of state. Findings The primary role of records managers as active citizens should be to provide systems that will enable others to discharge their duties. The primary role of archivists in a plural democracy should be to secure the record for the future. The notion that archivists need to protect the record from political pressure should be re‐considered. A more pressing need is for political pressure to be applied at the highest level, to ensure that there is a record. Research limitations/implications The research has been limited by the fact that the author has not had access to the Cabinet Office. Social implications If the upper echelons of the British Government are to function effectively then the collapse of proper procedures and proper record keeping described by Tony Blair needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency. Originality/value This article is original in so far as it offers a new perspective on issues concerning accountability, openness and records and it challenges existing orthodoxies.