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July 03, 2008
Expenses, turkeys and Christmas
The predictable happens. MPs vote on their expenses and decide to opt for the measure which, though makes sense to them, gives the least form of public scrutiny and accountability. Once again they decide that Christmas - ie. the ending of their current lax arrangements - is not for them.
Liberal Democrat Nick Harvey, a member of the estimate committee, response to this afternoon's vote:
"It was a total own-goal on the part of the House of Commons. An opportunity to put our house in order and be seen to put our house in order has been passed up. They took all the nice bits of the package but not the ones they didn't like. They took the spoonful of sugar but refused the medicine."
To be fair, the Commons did finally vote to end the power they have to decide their future pay packets. Virtually no one else has the power to do that, so why should MPs? That change is about time. But it does lead on to the wider question of why it is that MPs are still, in this day and age, allowed to freely decide any such aspects of their employment terms and conditions.
Many MPs, because of the safe seats they represent, have jobs for life. Or at the very least jobs until they are too ill to continue or a once in a generation electoral landslide happens. These MPs are highly unlikely to ever want to seriously debate - let alone actually vote on - anything to do with the electoral system for the Commons. That way they can go on unchallenged, with little or no competition for their job. That is surely unreasonable. Do any of us (who are not self-employed) have jobs where we can so dictate the length of our contract and the way and terms that contract is renewed? It is time that we made all our elected representatives more accountable and more accustomed to the prospect of Christmas.
Posted by malcolmclark on July 03, 2008
