17th May 2009
“Ask me what was the pinnacle of it all, and I would not hesitate with the answer: 9th June 1983, the night we won Yeovil at the General Election. For there is no privilege greater than representing the community you live in, and love, in Parliament.” Those are the words of Paddy Ashdown, from the final page of his extraordinary autobiography: “A Fortunate Life”, which was published recently and which I would recommend to all those interested not merely in politics but in life.
I have no doubt, too, that being MP for our area is the most important job that I will ever do, and the greatest privilege which I could have.
I have always been proud to be MP for this area, and however tough times have been, I have always felt honoured to be representing the interests and concerns of 110,000 people of South Somerset in the Parliament of the United Kingdom.
But the revelations of the last couple of weeks have turned the words “Member of Parliament” from being a designation of honour to being a badge of shame. In living memory, the reputation of Parliament has never been so low.
There has been evidence of MPs claiming money that they were never entitled to; evidence of MPs switching the designation of their main homes to gain unfair financial advantages; and claims for items as extraordinary as £18,000 bookshelves, £8,000 TVs, and even 550 bags of horse manure.
It does not matter that, in my own view, the majority of MPs are honest and have not abused the system. The reputation of all MPs has been massively damaged. It is now the responsibility of all parties and MPs to address these issues before it is too late.
It is already a tragedy that those canvassing for support in our local elections, on 4th June, are finding that the public is blaming all politicians, and threatening to opt out of local elections as well as those for Westminster. This would be grossly unfair to the thousands of individuals, of all parties, who give their time to stand for local election. These individuals receive very modest rewards for their efforts – and some councillors receive no income at all for their work. Nor do local councils have the same laxness of expense management as has been displayed at Westminster.
I would ask all local residents, whoever you vote for, not to take out the sins of Westminster on the local politicians who, by and large, work so hard to serve their communities – and not themselves. And I would warn against supporting dangerous fringe parties which will seek to profit from the current crisis, but whose programmes would lead Britain down a dangerous and divisive path.
It will take years to restore trust in national politics. But all parties must unite now to start that process of re-building. Firstly, there should be maximum transparency and accountability. Last week, I became the first MP to publish my detailed expense claims for 2008/09. I will continue to do this, regardless of the formal rules, but these should also be changed for all MPs.
Secondly, I agree with Nick Clegg that the present Speaker, Michael Martin, should step down immediately. The culture of Westminster has been too much that of a cosy Members’ Club, and not of an accountable Parliament. This Speaker has acted as a constant road-block to reform and transparency. He has regarded himself as a parliamentary shop-steward and not as a Leader of Parliamentary Accountability. His attack last week in the House on two MPs who have fought for reform was, for me, the final straw. We need new leadership of Parliament itself, and in my view confidence will never be restored with this Speaker at the helm.
Finally, the rules must be dramatically tightened up, and large budget savings must be made. Reform need not wait until the Independent Inquiry reports – there is much that should be done right now, if the Prime Minister was willing to support change.
Our parliamentary democracy is a crucial and valuable part of our national life. All of us are losers if it is undermined. All of us have a duty to start the process of re-building.
David.