I’ve been listening carefully today to the news regarding the taping of an MP talking to his imprisoned constituent in Milton Keynes and the surrounding furore. It comes at a similar time to the nonsense around that comedian, Derek Conway and the employment of his sons at government expense.
The crux of the argument, in both cases, from MPs is that they are a very special case and oughten’t be bugged or scrutinised for expenses because they are MPs. They further argue that this is because of their “special relationship” with constituents and yet the government insists that the public should accept simpler (albeit apparently safer) intrusions into their lives through the Regulation of Investigatory Powers act (RIPA), the Criminal Justice Acts (every 5 minutes) and the various acts preparing for ID cards.
The beef given by most MPs against the recent bugging (which is all the police’s fault apparently…) is that they are exempted under the “Wilson Doctrine”, which is, in fact no more than a parliamentary response given nearly 40 years ago by Harold Wilson, the then PM that no MPs would be bugged by MI5 - presumably to avoid charges that labour MPs were in the pay of the KGB, Stasi or Fabian Society. They aren’t actually bothered that their constituent might be bugged, or that their conversations with their lawyers may be taped - just that they might be. Which strikes me as being a tad peculiar. It’s about time that these supposed priveleges were reviewed and MPs remembered that all are supposedly equal under the law. Which brings me to my second point.
I am a public servant, I am not entitled to more that £46.50 for an overnight stay in a hotel on business - and if I spend more, I may be expected to cover it from my own pocket. If I employed a member of my family without declaring it, I could be subject to disciplinary action. If I employed a member of my family at a high rate of pay and then could not demonstrate that they had performed any work for the money, the following would happen: I would be suspended pending a hearing, I would then be dismissed, I would be arrested and charged with theft, my family member would possibly be arrested and charged with “obtaining pecuniary advantage by deception” and my life would be rather miserable.
Derek Conway has lost the whip… He will “step down” at the next election (in case his constituents were incredibly stupid and re-elected him) he has paid back “some” of the money. His sons, peculiar characters that they are, are simply photographed with various ‘h’ list celebrities.
I find these double standards incredible and hope that the simple case of obtaining pecuniary advantage is properly investigated as the further crime, in my opinion, of effectivly providing a student grant when they have been abolished is a slap in the face to indebteded students across the country. He, and those idiotic colleagues (Roger Gale MP on the Today Programme) ought to face the same sanctions as any other public servant would - or remove the threat of them for me - my Brother could do with some extra money.
