Scotland and the politics of intelligence accountability

Abstract

In a democratic society, accountability is the requirement for those in positions of power to provide answers to those whom they serve. Accountability depends, therefore, upon either the presence of an informed, inquisitive, and engaged public or an array of elected representatives with similar qualities who act on the public’s behalf. Although seemingly straightforward, accountability is not a simple administrative task; it poses a series of profound and fundamentally political challenges concerning the shape, composition, scope, power and limitations of any such regime