Parliamentary Reform

As every day passes there are more revelations about the extraordinary expense claims that have been made by MPs over the last six or seven years. One of the latest is another rich Tory, Sir Peter Viggers, making claims for the upkeep of his country estates. Over a period of 3 years he obtained £30,000 of tax payer's money for gardening costs, which included £500 for manure and £1,645 for a floating "Stockholm duck house" on his garden lake. Sir Peter, the MP for Gosport in Hampshire, had agreed to stand down at the next election.

Tory MP Jonathan Djanogly, shadow Business Secretary, claimed £5,000 for automatic gates on his rather large home in Huntingdon. He also claimed £27,000 for cleaning and gardening in a period of 4 years. Jonathan Djangoly is the son of the founder of Coates-Viyellas, a man thought to be worth over £300 million.

Apart from juggling between primary and secondary homes to make maximum claims, maximum profits and minimum taxes, the claims made by Labour MPs are for more modest matters such as mending paths and hedges and installing patios and conservatories.

And the revelations go on. The whole sorry saga continues. Yet, it seems that there are many in the House of Commons who still do not get it; they cannot see that the mess has to be cleaned up permanently. And this means changes to the whole structure of parliament and representation of the people. It is now time for a new 1832 Reform Act to bring parliament into the 21st century; to provide us with true representatives who are properly paid and compensated for doing a proper job on behalf of their electorate. They must not be automatons, devoid of ideas and controlled only be party whips. The Commons committees must be given proper powers to examine and examine again the legislative proposals of the government. They must not be fixed by whips to ensure they do the "right" things.

As we watched Speaker Martin earlier this week, marching through the corridors of Parliament with all his finery and theatrical costumes, I was reminded of nothing more than Gilbert & Sullivan and the Lord Chancellor in Iolanthe

Bow, bow, ye lower middle classes!

Bow, bow, ye tradesmen, bow, ye masses,

Blow the trumpets, bang the brasses,

But who will be the Mikado's Lord High Executioner? And who will he have on his list?

We have a once in a lifetime opportunity for total reform. It must be followed through. Never again should we have a government that controls the country when it has only received the support of 24% of the electorate and the vast hordes of MPs left with nothing much to do except to concentrate only on self-enrichment.

Who that is untainted can lead us out of the mess?