The answer to the expense scandal is ....(insert your pet project here)
I have heard some rubbish flung around on the airwaves, online and in print about the way to restore public confidence in the light of the MP's expenses and allowances farce.
When I hear a statement starting with the words "the only way to restore public confidence is to...." I hang my head because most of the time the next few words will be the personal hobby horse of the person speaking. We've already had proportional representation held up as the silver bullet, we've had a call for no holidays for MPs and now James Purnell is saying that state funding of political parties is the way forward.
It's funny how the parties which have most trouble convincing people to support them electorally or financially are the ones which are most keen on a politics tax.
Extremism taskforce after Woolwich
4 hours ago
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Just like union members pay their dues as a membership levy, perhaps all politicians ought to pay a levy to fund parties ? Second thoughts, maybe not as they'd just load it onto the taxpayers as expenses
The answer to the expense scandal is....to call an immediate general election and elect some honest MPs. Simple.
(by the way, proportional representation doesn't work - just look at Italy).
Let parties decide who they want to get rid of first and then have an election. We can't go before they've had a chance to say to the nation 'this is our offer'. If we go too soon we'll have all sorts of undesirable results. Autumn by my reckoning.
It begins and ends with the Fees Office and the person(s) who authorized the (reportedly dubious) expenses. Labour's system/those operating it are 100% responsible and answerable for costs to taxpayers.
The crux is overlooked ... as is the cost to taxpayers of Blair's (reported) posse of bodyguards since relinquishing his premiership.
The "leaked" data was, many believe, designed to damage the reputation of Labour dissidents as well as the Conservatives - hot on the heels of Joanna Lumley's resounding success on behalf of democratic rights.
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