Allowancesgate: Westminster’s contempt for the public

February 16, 2008

We understand that pressure is mounting on the Speaker, Labour MP Michael Martin, to take a tougher line on MPs’ expenses. This is apparently because, many – including ourselves, do not believe that the “review” he ordered following the Derek Conway affair will produce radical reforms. Indeed, quite the contrary, that apart from a little “window dressing” the perception in some minds is that nothing of any consequence will change. Life for serial allowance and expenses claimants in Westminster will continue just as sweetly as it has always done. Although Martin has been criticised for choosing a team of MPs seen as “establishment figures” to conduct the review, was there any real expectation that anything else was likely we wonder? After all, Martin’s team include David Maclean, the former Tory chief whip, who – wait for it - tried to bring in a Bill to exempt MPs from the Freedom of Information Act - precisely to avoid disclosing details of their expenses and allowances claims! This inclusion saying more about the objectives of the team in our opinion, than any amount of Westminster waffle could ever do! To make matters even more interesting it is generally understood that the Speakers “urgent review” is likely to drag on into the autumn of this year and possibly even longer.
And of course, it has to be said, that there are those MPs – not many of them admittedly – who consider Mr. Speaker to be “part of the problem, not the solution”! This is because he has attracted no little publicity himself over his own expenses, including £4,000 in taxi bills for his wife Mary and £50,000 for his air travel.
But that’s not all! Even if that isn’t enough to raise an eyebrow or two, then the “icing” on this particular “cake” is that he has also, allegedly, thwarted demands for full disclosure of MPs’ expenses previously!
It would appear that Labour have found the right man for an urgent root and branch review of MPs expenses and allowances! As an aside it was reported in Thursday’s Independent that: “The disgraced Conservative MP Derek Conway will keep his place among a group of MPs paid a £13,000-a-year bonus for chairing parliamentary proceedings. Mr Conway’s political career was apparently in ruins after he was suspended from the Commons after being criticised for employing his son as a researcher. But he has retained a prestigious and lucrative position as a member of the “chairmen’s panel” appointed by the Speaker Michael Martin to oversee detailed debates on Bills.Members get £13,107 on top of their £61,000 MP’s salary to reflect their extra status and workload chairing standing committees.”
Fills you with confidence - does it not?