Why so secretive?

It's always amazed me that the UK is so secretive about ordinary facts. When I first became a journalist I accepted this as the way things were..... until I followed up a story which included phoning an American.

I couldn't believe how much information he gave me with out any pressure. At one point he started to volunteer information, it was just a different culture. He felt people had a right to know and blocking information was something he wouldn't want to be seen to be doing.

 I can't help thinking that optics has this British disease a little worse than other sectors.