Like lemmings to the cliff....

My heart sank this morning, waking up to the voice of Nadine Dorries complaining of the victimisation of MPs in a McCarthy style witch hunt on the R4 Today programme. I am sure David Cameron was sharing my pain and it probably gave him a nasty bout of indigestion with his cornflakes. We expect our politicians (4 years in to a parliament) to be fairly politically astute by now but it is mind boggling how little they really do understand. To claim that many MPs are innocent and are therefore being unfairly treated misses the point of the public’s anger completely.

We expect our MPs to recognise what is wrong within their constituency, what is wrong within legislature and what is wrong with this country and then campaign to put things right. Admitting that all MPs knew the expenses system was wrong but that the Fees Office briefed them in a wink wink, nudge, nudge style that it was in lieu of 'poor' pay only goes to highlight their failure as our representatives in parliament. We want MPs to identify the issues and have the courage of their convictions to stand up against corruption and failing policies and sort it out.

Incidentally there are a large number of government servants that are forced to work in London all a considerable distance from their family / main homes and many on a salary a third of what an MP is paid. Who are these people? Our servicemen and women working at the Ministry of Defence. They are provided with rented accommodation set at capped rate and paid for directly by the MOD and then also given a small daily allowance for food. They also then have to pay a set amount of food and accommodation back out of their pay matching what they would have to pay if living in a accommodation on a military base. These men and women work just as long hours (if not longer) then our MPs and they earn a lot more respect as well!!!