Index’s chief executive John Kampfner joins Jonathan Freedland and Jonathan Powell on BBC Radio 4’s The Long View to compare 17th and 21st century attitudes towards state secrets and freedom of information. If you haven’t listened to this great history series before, each week  Freedland and guests “find the past behind the present”, they explore a moment in history that throws light on a contemporary debate.

In this week’s episode:

“At the Battle of Naseby in 1645, the King’s enemies captured carriages containing his private papers. Brought to London for decoding and publication, the documents laid bare the King’s secret negotiations with foreign armies, revelations that were immensely damaging to the Royalist cause. In the era of WikiLeaks, cyber attacks, phone-hacking and calls for ever-greater transparency”

Listen here: