Comments on: I don’t want a right to see my MP’s expenses

By: Neil

Neil — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 14:20:44 +0000

Hi
viewed your Flickr and thought you’d be interested in a blog about reception desks

By: jim.reed

jim.reed — Mon, 11 May 2009 21:36:46 +0000

reply to keith 22nd I would think you need a rethink! I do not think there is nothing “cheap” when it comes to our MPs actions

By: Keith

Keith — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 19:09:08 +0000

I agree with you about MPs and disclosure of their expenses, but I think you cheapen your argument when you refer to the Daily Mail. The only reason that paper has picked this sort of thing up is because Labour MPs have, in the last 11-12 years, exercised a revolting amount of micro-management over ordinary people’s daily lives and I for one am heartily sick of it.

By: Steve Bowbrick

Steve Bowbrick — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 10:57:44 +0000

And @Terence Eden I like the idea of a marketplace for MPs. I can imagine that some exotic form of PR might make it possible to assign your vote in this way. If they could come up with a way of allowing competition in gas supply using a single physical network I’m sure there’s a way to deliver a more competitive elctoral system!

By: Steve Bowbrick

Steve Bowbrick — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 10:53:33 +0000

And another thing. The thing we’re forgetting – and which never comes up in the public debate about this – is that Parliament’s rather anomalous autonomy and lack of accountability has a historic reason. MPs set their own salaries and benefits and account to no one for their expenses because across the centuries various executives and monarchies have attempted to trash the place by imposing their malign will on the legislature. Any reform should at least preserve the independence of Parliament from the other branches…

By: Jake Brumby

Jake Brumby — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 02:57:58 +0000

In a small business, expenses would be submitted to the Managing Director who would review them and authorise them if appropriate. A similar system would suffice for MPs, with the review and authorisation made by an independent body. Nothing fancy needed and no need for the public to see the expenses.

By: Tobias

Tobias — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 22:11:17 +0000

Smell the grass Steve !!!

By: Cait

Cait — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 11:52:57 +0000

I genuinely don’t get why it should make anyone resentful or grumpy. If you have an expense, you have an expense. It’s just practical.

Public trust within the UK is at a terrible low. It’s not even that they are trying to legislate for hiding, which is bad enough, but that they previously spouted the openness line, as if it was something they actually signed up to.

Once all the expenses were public, you’d have approx 1 month of flittering about in the Mail et al, and a few MP’s would be stung for using *our* money in ways that are frivolous and ‘Really Not On’. After that no one would care less. I want to be able to trust my public servants.

I’m looking back at my own expenses record at work and find nothing there that I can’t wholly justify. I’d be 100% happy for my expenses to be public. Particularly if you (and you, and you) were paying my wages.

By: Terence Eden

Terence Eden — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 11:45:17 +0000

@Steve Bowbrick I expect the Head of the Library (or Chief Wizard) to audit her staff’s expenses.

She’s the one in charge of employing them and making sure they provide value for money.

The Head Librarian should also – occasionally – be independently audited to make sure she’s not employing her son and helping him embezzle all the Harry Potter books.

We are the *direct* employers of our MPs. We don’t have a direct say in the hiring and firing of librarians – we do with MPs.

If there were an independent and trustworthy auditor of MPs, I could accept that. But as we’ve seen with the recent farce at the NAO – it’s far too easy to corrupt these people. Better that we retain control.

By: Dungeekin

Dungeekin — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 11:42:07 +0000

Steve

The staff of a library or other office have other, more senior people who audit and account for their expenses.

At present, the checks and balances for MPs are wrong because the authorities are other MPs, who have a vested interest.

Fine, if you don’t want to make them public have an independent auditing body – but otherwise, who’s guarding the guards?

Transparency is, at present, the only way to ensure our money is not abused by the expenses system.