This &quot;negotiations must be secret to work&quot; principle seems an odd argument to make.<p>In the UK, for example, our national laws go through several stages of development in Parliament. Over the course of many months or years there will often be thousands of comments contributed by MPs, Lords, civil servants, independent subject matter experts, special interest groups, and the general public.<p>There are no draconian restrictions on seeing or discussing the work in progress of the kind we&#x27;re talking about here. No-one is wearing tin foil hats. No-one is spending their entire working lifetime fending off crazy theories from everyone with half a clue.<p>And yet, as you say, stuff still gets done.