The Troughlodytes in the Commons

In a shameful week for politicians, Commons Speaker Michael Martin is struggling with the concept of PR…

Let me say that anyone who has looked at their own un-redacted information can see that the signatures of employees are exposed, that private ex-directory numbers are exposed and that passwords—telephone passwords—are exposed. I just say to the hon. Lady that it is easy to say to the press, “This should not happen,” but it is a wee bit more difficult when you have to do more than just give quotes to the Express—or the press, rather—and do nothing else; some of us in this House have other responsibilities, other than just talking to the press.
(Hansard)

Of course, MPs have as much right to protect their personal data as the rest of us, but there’s a lot of *public* data there that would be covered up if the Speaker had his own way. This is all a bit rich, coming from the chair of the House of Commons Commission who sought to exempt MPs from the Freedom of Information Act back in 2007.

I can’t say I’m particularly surprised by this whole expenses scandal… we saw most flavours of sleaze back in 1992-97, and (New) Labour have given no indication that they’re better than the Tories when it comes to ethical behaviour. Mind you, it’s heartening to see the first signs of how some Tory MPs have been milking the system to even more spectacularly decadent ends. It’s supposedly easier to be in opposition than to be in government, because everything is hypothetical and reversible, but that lot can’t even keep out of trouble while they’re in opposition!

What’s shameful is that such a vast and wide-ranging mechanism existed to make these claims possible in the first place. The second-home trick has been dominating the headlines, but this is only the large tip of an even larger iceberg. To my mind, the enormous list of trivial, everyday expenses is more damning, because it suggests an ingrained, arrogant attitude of entitlement.

No doubt the system will be improved. Receipts will be demanded and scrutinized. There will be stricter rules about the description of “family home” and “second home”. Tax loopholes will be closed. And then human nature (because, let’s face it, we all like to bend the rules) will take over, and new opportunities will arise. The ONLY solution is to remove any room for interpretation. Everything must be standardised, unambiguously, for all MPs.

I want to get this posted now, so I’ll say more in the next entry…

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