One Last word on Expenses

There is no doubt that the drip drip of stomach-turning revelations about the behaviour of some MPs has shocked us all.  It has left us feeling cheated and frustrated and disappointed with the behaviour of those we thought we could trust. 

With a third home scandal and question marks about hanging baskets, there is no doubt that Mrs Beckett has come out of this worse than many – but not nearly as badly as some.  On Thursday night a BBC Question Time audience saw no distinction and savaged her.  I suppose it would make sense for me to rally the jeerers and hecklers and try to make a bit of political hay but instead I am asking for a bit of perspective.  We must not throw the democratic baby out with the bathwater of fraud and waste.

As I have said repeatedly on this website and elsewhere, she is not a bad person and she is certainly not a criminal.  So she does not deserve to be treated like one.  She has worked hard in a difficult game and managed to get close to the top of a complicated and male-dominated system.  We should all appreciate the dedication and sacrifice that involves

However, it is that game and that system that is failing us.  And Mrs Beckett has been so closely associated with that system and the Labour party that currently runs it that, in my opinion, there is no way she can be part of the change we so desperately need. 

Transparency and cost-saving are anathema to both her and her party.  The concept of living the values that you extol (which my party had to learn so much about in the 90s) is simply not part of the make-up of senior Labour politicians.  It is time for change.  It’s time for a change in Derby and its time for a change in Westminster and it’s only you, the electorate, who can make that happen.

For me, that change means taking a business eye to our politics.  As a management consultant I ask every day, why? Is it good value for money? and can we do without it?  I want to get the chance to ask those questions in Westminster too.  Why do we need 640 or so MPs?  Do they represent value for money to the voters?  And how can we make them more productive?  David Cameron and his team are looking at these questions today, I want to be elected so that I can be a part of the change they’re bringing.

However, beyond the rational business eye, we also need to address transparency.  I’ve said repeatedly that I’ll publish all my expenses on the internet if elected and it’s a pledge I’ll stand-by.  I also want to do more to help people see the work I’ll be doing and they ways that I’ll be available to support my constituents.  Part of that will be through a website like this, part through engaging with and supporting local media and part will be by just making myself accessible to the people.  Whether it’s a high street office or street surgeries, I want people to see that I’m around and available when needed.

Please don’t vote for me just because you’re disappointed with Mrs Beckett.  I don’t think that she’s done enough to deserve that.  Instead vote for me because you want a new kind of politics, a new person representing you and new way of being part of our democracy.  In short vote for me because, in line with the titke of this blog, you want a new Derby MP.