By Kezia Dugdale / @kezdugdale
The problem David Cameron’s got is that as much as people like him, they don’t trust him. Yesterday, he put on his angry face and promised to “deal” with the problem of MPs Expenses. And what followed? A hasty meeting with his shadow cabinet and an even hastier press conference which set out some new laws for Toryland and a proclaimation that he was “appalled.”
What? You didn’t know some of your colleagues had swimming pools, moats, chandeliers, seven houses, stables and tennis courts to maintain? Are you so out of touch with the rest of your Parliamentary group or are you worse, because you pretend to be just like everybody else? For years we’ve known how much MPs have spent – we just never knew what on. Did you never think to ask?
Spare me the political theatre.
I’m glad Hazel Blears has paid money back and Phil Hope is about to do the same because, in his own words, “This is not about votes, this is about who I am, this is about me, this is a personal decision I am making. Whenever the election comes I want those people to know that I am a person of integrity.”
But where is the difference between a conscience and a moral compass?
The reality is that politicians of all parties, with elected members in the House of Commons, have members with marks against their name. Yet they continue in their attempts to score points against each other.
* First they were trying to out do each other to spend the money.
*Then they were trying to out do each other in expressing outrage.
* Now they’re trying to out do each other in remedying the situation.
Nobody seems to recognise that setting their own rules got them into this sorry mess in the first place. An appeal to politicians of all hues: Please, stop.
Let Sir Christopher Kelly get on with the job of modernising the system and get back to your own duties. As Iain Dale reminds us, “Make policy in haste, repent at leisure”.
I had to read the Equality Bill debate on Hansard last night to find out what happened because so little media attention was paid to it. This is groundbreaking, landmark stuff from a Government fuelled by the desire for a more equal and just world.
The difference between the two parties is stark. The Tories believe that this is no time for equality and it is our duty, as Labour activists, to expose that.
I’m going door-knocking in Edinburgh East tonight with our new PPC Sheila Gilmore. I’m sure I’ll spend the first few seconds sharing mutual outrage with constituents about expenses, but then we’ll get back to the real issues of anti-social behaviour and school building programmes.
I suggest politicians everywhere do the same.
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A massive 2,100 of you voted in the Speaker poll. Here are the results, and they are extremely interesting...
How do you rate the performance of Mr Speaker Michael Martin?
Excellent 1%
Good 1%
Adequate 3%
Poor 22%
Dreadful 73%
95% say Michael Martin should step down now. 86% of you think he should go immediately, while 8% think he should go at the next election. 49% of you expect him soon to announce he will go at the next election. 75% of you think Labour MPs will vote tribally for a Labour speaker.
66% of the people who took part in this poll say they will vote Tory at the next election. That's not surprising. This is, after all, a Conservative supporting blog. However, look at who the top two MPs are who you would like to succeed Michael Martin. Not a Tory among them...
Frank Field 19%
Sir Ming Campbell 18%
Sir George Young 15%
Kate Hoey 13%
David Davis 6%
Sir Alan Haselhurst 6%
Ken Clarke 5%
Alan Beith 4%
John Bercow 3%
Keith Simpson 3%
Sir Patrick Cormack 3%
Richard Shepherd 2%
All others were under 2%. This result is particularly interesting when you take into account the same poll from six months ago. Sir Ming Campbell came top with 25%, Sir Alan Haselhurst was second with 19%. Frank Field only scored 10%
When the question changes to "who do you expect MPs to elect" Sir Ming rises to the top again with 28% and Frank Field declines to 12%. Sir George Young is on 10% and Sir Alan Haselhurst 8%.
As I say, I don't pretend this poll is representative of anyone apart from readers of my blog. The only meaningful thing one can draw from this poll is that Conservative supporters would be happy to see Sir Ming Campbell or Frank Field as Speaker, and that Sir Alan Haselhurst's position has worsened because of the events of this week.
For what it's worth, I would still support Sir Alan Haselhurst. I think he has proved he can do the job and would be a steadying influence.
I Thank you, bb J – silly sig man.
And as for "a Government fuelled by the desire for a more equal and just world" I'm sorry but that is not how I see it. It may have been that way in 1997 and I along with a lot of other people wanted the same.
Yes I am also interested in anti-social behaviour and school building programmes however MP's expenses is a real issue as people see it as a breach of trust and hypocracy.
How can we have people making laws that stop us (quite rightly) defrauding "the system" and yet do things that outside of Parliament they would be dragged in front of magistrates for?
As regards Phil Hope's “This is not about votes, this is about who I am..." oh come on! If that was the case why did he do it in the first place? I don't disagree that paying it back was a good idea, but the reason given (and the way after seeing it on TV) smacked of panic in case he was voted out.
However, why does Kezia feel this is a good thing for a Labour MP to do and all very noble, yet a Tory MP does it and it's political point scoring? It smacks of bias and a very blinkered view.
I agree the expenses thing is an issue with all parties however at least Cameron appeared to be doing something. Brown had the chance to get all parties together but instead opted for what I felt was political point scoring by doing the awful YouTube video.
Even Alastair Campbell said on his blog that Brown should have done so. Had he done, I think a degree of damage limitation could have been done and it wouldn't look like the only reason this is happening is because of a newspaper.
It does also appear as if Labour MP's are only offering to pay back the public purse after Cameron made his MP's do so. This may not be the case, however the timing that has played out the last few days gives that perception.
I feel that Brown will no longer be able to accuse the Tories of being the party of doing nothing.
Watch this space.
Oh, and just because Blears waves a cheque at a TV camera, without the 'to' line filled in it has to be said, does not mean she has sent it, nor that HMRC will accept it. Afterall, they cannot, by law, accept tax payments that are not due to them, as Blears has claimed the whole time. Should they accept, that raises much bigger questions as to why she should not be pursued for tax avoidance. "Get on with it!" you say. Get on with evicting this corrupt pack of theiving scum, of all parties, from our parliament, then and only then can we get back to 'real issues' as Gordon might say.
...and David Cameron's record on expenses was......
Well one out of two is one better than Gordo. Watching Blears is pathetic, waving her cheque she looks like a little kid bringing home a painting from school rather than a tax-dodging crook, does she seriously believe that paying back the money she defrauded makes it OK? If Cameron's such a tool (and he is) why is he leaving Gordon and the cabinet in his dust? The whole lot of them disgust me but particularly the PLP, you KNOW the tories are all crooks but Lasbour were meant to be different.
as for blears, all she has done is wave a cheque about, anyone could do that, it doesn't mean she is actually going to hand it in!!
from my count at least a dozen new labour cabinet members should have been in court at some point (fiddling mortgages applications, thumping members of the public, having cannabis in the home, illegal wars, etc etc) ;)
brown's response to everything is absolutely pathetic, even his 'apology' wasn't, at least he didnt apologise for the scandal he only apologised that they (MPs) had been found out and how he can say he has wanted change when he happily watched MPs vote to keep their expenses secret
i do now seee that brown did tell one truth when he said when he took over the party and said that the spin would stop, it has, its just blatant lies instead now
You're right it's all parties - but completely wrong that it's going to be forgotten about.
Blears was engaged in Tax Evasion - she should be in court, not on telly claiming she's great for handing it back after she's been caught.
Brown should pay back every penny as well - he's had a free "second home" for 11 years now!
As for Jacqui ..... or Tony .....
I'm sure he knew that colleagues have swimming pools, moats etc. That doesn't mean that he knew that they were claiming for them on their expenses. If we were to apply the same logic to Brown, we'd have to say that Brown was completely in the loop with Hazel Blears' expenses claims. Therefore there can't be any doubt that Brown was fully aware that Blears claimed second home allowance for a London property and then changed that same property to 'main home' status shortly before selling it, in order to avoid CGT.
"I’m glad Hazel Blears has paid money back and Phil Hope is about to do the same because, in his own words"
Both Hazel Blears and Phil Hope made their promise to pay back money AFTER Cameron made his announcement that ALL Conservative MPs would be expected to pay back spurious expenses. Cameron has made it clear that there will be consequences for MPs who don't pay back that money. Curiously no such announcement by Brown or New Labour.
Brown should have made the same speech as Cameron weeks ago. Instead we got a rather frightening YouTube video. Its clear to anyone who isn't currently wearing blinkers that Cameron has demonstrated good leadership skills, and that Brown has utterly failed.
Sorry to have to disagree but I think the issue of MPs expenses involves all of us.
I'm having a pop at commentators backing the Cameron approach and accusing our Leader of lacking leadership, as for example here:
http://www.spectator.co.uk/coffeehouse/3614848/cameron-takes-charge-at-pmqs.thtml#comments
But there is a job to be done inside the Party to validate sitting MPs seeking re-election as I have suggested here:
http://petergkenyon.typepad.com/peterkenyon/2009/05/mps-expenses-labour-party-grassroots-versus-headlines.html
Peter Kenyon
member, Labour Party NEC constituency section
Sadiq Khan speaking on Radio 4's World At One a little while ago, in rushing to praise "Phil and Hazel" pointed out that these poor little innocents were working "in a rotten system". Well, they would still be filling their boots if they hadn't got caught. Just because there is a rotten system, you don't have to make rotten claims on it.
I leave the final word to Mark Steel, writing in today's Independent:
"And so many of these MPs have harrumphed with approval at the clampdowns on false claims for housing and invalidity benefits. They've gone along with campaigns such as "Rat on a rat" and "Benefit cheats, we're closing in". And then they object, as Luton's MP Margaret Moran did, that they had to claim for a house in Southampton (nowhere near her work) because "I can't do my job without somewhere to be with my family". So that's what to say if you're caught fiddling the dole. Tell the fraud officer you were saving up for a house in Southampton, because these days a house in Southampton is clearly a basic human necessity like toilet roll. Surely the Labour Party must set a target that by 2013 every family in Britain will have a house in Southampton.
But, of course, these people don't think they've done anything wrong because both parties now stand for the values of big business. Lord Peter Mandelson declared famously that New Labour was "relaxed about people being filthy rich". Politicians move in those circles. Their heroes are Murdoch, Branson and Berlusconi. They inhabit a world of clean moats and mowed paddocks. Bit by bit, I get the impression the way this country is run is not quite right".
The expenses scandal blew up because of too much cleverness and uncaring attitudes. The mental approach of these people was arrogant and greedy, yet, in their race to look correct and concerned they're just repeating the same old character flaws they were carrying around the day before they got caught with their fingers in the cookie jar. This is not change but merely the illusion of change.
Zen sneers at these creatures. The whole of reality is mocking them and they're the last ones to see it. It wouldn't be so bad but when it's in leaders who have all the benefits of expensive education, expert advice, and 24/7 support mechanisms it's a poor show. It's not a question of *doing* better, it's *undoing* you nincompoops. That begins with unlearning or letting go, and something these raging egos can't seem to grasp.
Talk large, move fast, kiss as seems to be the Tory strategy but I've commented (and Steve Richards echoes) that change doesn't happen that fast. On a personal level meaningful change takes 5 years minimum.
Hopefully, confusion and pain at the top will teach these people something. While they thrash about in the fears and agonies of their own minds a little Zen style enlightenment might emerge. Dunno. We'll see.
No.
I say 'No' because I want to understand how the PM is going to sort out a mess of his own making. He popped up on that slow motion train crash of an announcement on YouTube with absolutely no interest to reform expenses at all. The PM is a third rate Marvo the Magician, all tricks and stunts but absolutely no action at all. It was a brazen attempt to seize initiative and it failed.
The fact Mr. Cameron offered cross-party support way before then and was completely rebuffed by the PM shows me as a voter who is the most collegiate, who is going to get the most done in the limited time available.
The fact that six hours after publication, Mr. Cameron was there, he said sorry, not once but almost a dozen times, he named and shamed the worst, he was going to stop some claim items there and then now and he was going to scrutinise his own MPs.
That is a bold demonstration of leadership. No tricks or stunts but action.
The PM could have done that weeks ago, it took him days to apologise for pity's sake. Still no action, these are MP's expenses not something politically substantial.
You go door-knocking in Edinburgh and you try to discuss politics without reference to this. The last few days isn't lost on anyone, try and sweep it under the carpet, you'll get some choice words I'm sure.
Even the Grauniad is hailing Cameron's action. Kezia has the blinkers on again, she cant accept that Cameron has showed leadership as this is against her Lab views. Move on and let her bleat.