MP expenses: against state secrecy
Posted on Sunday 31 May, 2009
Filed Under Politics
IT SEEMS surprising that John Wick – the former SAS man and Tory supporter who grassed up Westminster to the wider world – took many weeks to find a buyer for a disk containing a run down of all parliamentary expense claims going back several years. After all, this is material that Telegraph hacks have been easily able to transmute into an inexhaustible supply of front page splash gold dust.
Despite Wick’s protestations that he was essentially acting in the public interest, he initially tried to secure £300,000 for the info, at which price there were no takers. Nobody is quite sure how much the newspaper ultimately forked out, but the lobby correspondent rumour mill suggests a sum of around £70,000. Isn’t it nice when principle and pecuniary gain just happen to coincide like that?
For its part, the government – which often lists Britain’s laughably ineffectual Freedom of Information Act as an example of one of its more progressive policies – did all it could to keep everything under wraps. All the punters were due to get were a heavily edited version, and some way down the line at that.
Socialists will have few qualms about MPs being brought to book, and will thoroughly enjoy watching the big league politicos squirm. Those of us in jobs in which we are reimbursed for out-of-pocket air, train and taxi fares and restaurant and hotel bills legitimately accrued in the course of our employment accept that expense account arrangements are, in principle, fair enough.
But by the same token, we are aware that fiddling your exes is quite literally a sacking offence. Do it big time, and the plods will be invited to take an interest. In short, an expense account is not a means of securing a major augmentation of the salary set down in your employment contract.
Moreover, it is a basic socialist principle – albeit one that some star-struck revolutionary organisations have lightly tossed aside of late – that political and union representatives be paid no more than those they represent.
The point is that the way in which these matters came to light underlines the depth to which the British political system is addicted to state secrecy. It is unacceptable that electors are only in the know thanks to some ageing reactionary touting the skinny round the capitalist press in the hope of trousering tens of thousands of pounds himself.
Maximum transparency when it comes to the financial affairs of those holding public office should be axiomatic for the left. Until it is, all boasts about FoIA are pretty much worthless.
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11 Responses to “MP expenses: against state secrecy”
“In short, an expense account is not a means of securing a major augmentation of the salary set down in your employment contract.”
Well, yes, it seldom is but Dave appears to be criticising anyone who do such.
Communists say good luck to most people who do manage to regain some more payment for the wage labour that is exploited from them by the capitalist class – if I was writing this, it would be with a work biro.
And no-one yet seems to have graspsed the big payday that come out of this.
I saw both Brown and Cameron referring again today to Proportional Representation. Now doubtless they will forget it very soon but if it did get going – and if reactionary minimum values could be defeated (like representation only for those getting 5%) and geographical representation, then 1.5, 2% for the far Left = 12 MPs.
That’s 12 MPs not calling for a kinder, greener world where we all eat Fairtrade food and live in diverse, sustainable communities but the dozen instead agitating for communist revolution.
I remember when the Liberals had just 15 MPs.
Roll on.
Aye
Dream on, Punchie. Not a hope in hell of any system without a 5% threshold. And even if there was, there’s no evidence the far left could get even 2% these days.
There’s no reason to think there isn’t someone better than Besancenot in Britain. Sheridan once may have been such in Scotland.
And it’s the sentiment behind the support for them, not the personality, that will be as common in London as in Lyon.
Southpawpunch
Happy that we got the uncensored version of the expenses and really enjoy seeing these MPs writhe in their own shit.
Regarding the ex-SAS type that was selling the disks. Don’t be fooled by the way thriller novels portray these guys. Having met more than a few abroad, I have found them usually to be fairly thick wankers. I mean I know they can kill you with their little finger or whatever, but it seems to be at a price of low social skills and under-developed brains.
And it’s the sentiment behind the support for them, not the personality, that will be as common in London as in Lyon.
As demonstrated by the 17-18% support for No2EU/the SPP Fourth International of one in the opinion polls, I suppose?
“Moreover, it is a basic socialist principle – albeit one that some star-struck revolutionary organisations have lightly tossed aside of late – that political and union representatives be paid no more than those they represent.”
David, remind us please, which “star-struck revolutionary organisation” paid EXPENSES of c. £7,700 (only £275/day) to the shouty wife of their heroic war leader so that she could employ her “must have” celeb hair stylist on the 2005 stump? Twice the cost of fighting Comrade Kilfoyle’s Liverpool seat? Cos she’s worth it?
One of the many amusing things about all this is that while Gordon bumbles on about constitutional reform,(“I have a very inky piece of paper!”),a record number of his hard working, aspirational Labour troughers are now banging on the door of the Lords demanding to be let in… “Me Sir, Me Sir!” (Guardian last week). Well, you’ve got to have a fall-back trough plan in these turbulent times, ain’t you?
I started watching ‘Yes Minister’ on DVD last night for the first time, and the very first episode was called ‘Open Government’. It revolved around the new Secretary of State calling for more open government, only for Sir Humphrey to completely undermine him in order to protect the civil service.
Too close for comfort?….
The State’s contractors don;t liek publicity as well.
I have just been banned from the New Deal, and risk having all benefits suspended (not a pleasant prospect for standing up for freedom of speech), because of my Blog, and the Ipswich Unemploeyd Action’s. Both are dedicated to exposing the truth about YMCA training, opposed to Workfare etc.
Ipswich Unemployed Action, which is written by more than one person (the ‘invisible committee’), has got pretty close to the bone about the YMCA
http://tendancecoatesy.wordpress.com/2009/06/01/banned-for-blog-ymca-suppresses-dissent/
Not that he achieved anything much. The complete database was going to be published in a few weeks’ time anyway.
mps offering to pay fiddled money back?they got caught crimminal offence if it was the rest of us so why not nick them????