Time to draw the line on MPs' expenses
Whilst I condemned the dubious practices of MPs during the original expenses scandal, I have to say that I do sympathise with those who have been ordered to repay money by Sir Thomas Legg who has taken it upon himself to rewrite the rules that allowed the payments in the first place.
For the sake of argument let us imagine buying a computer for £500 last year and getting a demand from the supplier for more money this year because the price has gone up. I don't think anyone would pay the difference!
I think that MPs should not be expected do the same despite their leaders' attempts to hog the headlines by demanding such payments.
We are supposed to be living in a democracy where would-be MPs are interviewed and selected/rejected by the local constituency party for whom the applicant seeks to stand in a general election.
I do wish that all the leaders of the political parties in Westminster would stop jumping on bandwagons by trying to outdo their opponents in dealing with their MPs.
Tony Probert,
Locking,
Near Weston-super-Mare.
Comments
by Tim, North Somerset
Monday, October 19 2009, 3:47PM
“Where exactly did you get this impression we lived in a democracy? Living in Weston Super Mare, surely you should have realised how councils have distanced themselves from democratic decisions simply by installing a seven member executive commitee that bypasses 54 of the elected councillors and it is now responsible for making all the decisions. Is that democracy? Did we get the opportunity to vote on the forming of such a commitee?
Possibly without exception, the moral integrity of MP's has been the issue in the expenses scandal and they all jumped onto the roller coaster of expense abuse and if this had been for a private company they would all have lost their positions and no doubt faced prosection for fraud.
MP's no longer represent people, they represent party's and themselves and suffer from the dillusion that they are there to dictate to us rather than represent us and it was the apathetic attitude of the British people who have allowed this to happen and will ensure it won't change.”