BARBARA WANTS AN APOLOGY!

Is Britain governed by a bunch of crooks?

Of course you have to be very careful how you answer that question because if you believe that Britain’s politicians are 600 or so people sitting on leather benches in the Westminster chamber you’d be very wrong.

I would guess there are at least one million people active in British politics and every Tom, Dick and Harriet of them are in their own way politicians just as much as Gordon, Dave and the other one.

Grass roots activists have a deep seated political belief in the party they support. They give up their time to run the local party machine, to campaign, to fund raise. They certainly are not on the take. In fact they are expected to pay money in to the local party to finance its day to day expenses and election campaigns – so no big time corruption there.

My mind goes to Barbara who lives in my former village. After years giving much time and effort to her party she was persuade to stand for election on what is the lowest rung of office – a parish councillor. Parish councillors are usually independent of party – in our village they aren’t – but all are involved in the nitty gritty day to day issues that matter to residents such as the local pond, allotments, street lighting and so on. Not much dosh to be had there either.

Today Barbara sits as a District Councillor, so deals with much wider weightier issues such as town planning. Her role is duplicated many times over throughout the country in town, borough, county and various other types of councils.

Now if you ask me are there corrupt councillors – the answer is of course there are. Councillors are human beings hence if you gather 100 councillors or come to that 100 priests, nuns, doctors, lawyers or dustmen together you’d find a few bad apples in every barrel. That is the way of life. However all the councillors I have ever met have been like Barbara, hard working dedicated individuals whose crowing glory is to one day to be elected mayor or chairperson of the council. Corruption does exist but it is the exception rather than the rule.

Then we arrive at Westminster – the national stage. If you are a crook, if you are determined to rake in a lot of cash, then politics isn’t for you. To become a MP you first have to be selected by your local party – no easy task. Then you have to be elected – and with few safe seats in this day and age even if you do managed to win – your tenure is guaranteed for no more than 4 years. So now you are in the House, an outsider amongst over 600 MPs. You first have to slowly make your mark, acts as voting fodder and of course there is no guarantee your party will be in power at any time in your political life.

For the sake of this argument let us say it is – but even in that situation only about 100 people enjoy the trappings of power be it as Prime Minister or as a ministerial bag carrier. So the opportunities to pocket big cash are remarkably few.

Now I accept that too many MPs have been shamed by double dealing over their mortgages, having their moles dealt with at the public expense or providing an island home for their ducks. Yet even this is small beer when it comes to real corruption.

I believe some MPs are guilty of stupidity, of attempting to line their pockets but I believe their greatest sin is their contempt for the British public – the very people who elected them to office. MPs seem to have forgotten they were voted in not to rule but to serve...which is a very different kettle of fish.

By the next election the majority of Britain’s bad apple MPs will have departed the scene – either they will be deselected, opt not to stand, be voted out – some may even be in jail.

The British public are rightly angry over what has been uncovered. However I assure you that that anger is no more keenly felt that amongst the party activists, by the Barbaras of this world. They are betrayed voters and tax payers too but they are also politicians who have had their honest hard work and dedication devalued by a group of grubby MPs (like the outgoing Hogg) with their snouts firmly stuck in the Westminster trough.

BED AND BREAKFAST MP

As the expenses controversy rages around the heads of Britain’s MPs I have been reading “Teddy Boy Blue” – the autobiography of former Tory MP Sir Teddy Taylor.

It makes interesting reading and I offer you this piece that describes Sir Teddy’s arrival in Parliament in 1964. No moats or duck islands here!

“A Scottish MP has to spend his week in London, travelling up only at weekends to visit his home. The salary was not too good at that time and if expensive accommodation was secured and a full-time secretary employed, there would not be much left. Nowadays, things are much easier for MPs with quite generous allowances being made available on top of salaries for accommodation in London and for the employment of secretaries, but these privileges were not available in 1964.

“So it had to be a little guesthouse in Clapham for accommodation which, as it happened, turned out to be the ideal place to live. I discovered it in an advert in The Sunday Post and the proprietors, a Mr and Mrs Fair, looked after me in the way in which you would expect a favourite aunt to do.”

I have held the view since studying the book that it should be required reading for all those who aspire to Parliament as it sets out the day-to-day life of a back bencher in great detail.

Now I also believe it should be required reading for all British voters as it describes the hard often humdrum work carried out by the majority of the nation’s elected representatives at both national and local level.

I believe some 170 MPs have had their expenses examined and published in print by the Daily Telegraph. That is a shameful figure but it still makes a large minority and doesn’t given credit to the latter day Sir Teddy Taylor’s who serve their nation and constituents with dedication and honesty.

(Teddy Boy Blue – Edward M Taylor – Kennedy & Boyd – http://www.kennedyandboyd.co.uk/)

DODGING THE BIG ISSUE

Mrs Thatcher in her time as Prime Minister was not noted for dodging the big issues but she did duck one and British politicians are paying the cost this very day.

It was Mrs T who refused to revise the salaries of MPs so they received proper remuneration. As time passed by she and other Prime Ministers refused to grasp the nettle but increased the expenses that MPs could claim as a form of compensation for the low pay.

We and MPs are now paying the price – because whilst many politicians have been caught lining their pockets at the tax payers’ expense it is our very system of democracy that is taking a battering.

Tinkering with the various allowances will not solve the problem.

The British public have to accept that its politicians deserve a fair days wage for their work. That will mean that in these times of economic restraint they will have to receive very large pay increases indeed.

However - out of the window should go all the expense claims and perks that currently go with the job. The pay rise may make many wince but when the sums are added up we will be quids in.

One other provision is required too: in future decisions over MPs pay and what they can receive in allowances should be taken out of their hands and placed with an independent body.

I do believe that the majority of MPs are hard working and honest. The sleazebags must not be allowed to plead “it’s within the rules”. Once their package is regularised those who break the law should end up in prison.