Over at her blog, the Lib Dem party president Baroness Ros Scott reports back to members on how the party is going to deal with the vexed issue of MPs’ expenses – and specifically those allegations which relate to Lib Dem MPs:
The Liberal Democrats at Westminster are engaged in two main tasks. In both Houses, the details of individuals’ claims are being gone through to ensure that they comply with existing Parliamentary rules. Nobody is going to be hung out to dry on the say so of a newspaper. The second task is to reform the existing system, something Liberal Democrats in both Houses have tried to do in the past and been thwarted. Maybe this time, the other Parties will be prepared to take the hard decisions they have ducked in the past.
Federal Executive meets on Monday, and this whole question is of course on our agenda. Vince Cable, as Deputy Leader, and David Shutt, as our Chief Whip in the Lords, will be there, and I predict a ‘full and frank’ exchange of views.
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4 Comments
The emphasis on the Lords is interesting.
I’m sorry but you guys need to understand that this is bigger than can be solved by getting into a defensive huddle and then falling back on ‘we didn’t break any rules’ and ‘we need to reform the system’.
The public isn’t angered by rule-breaking, it’s angered by a-morality and absence of contrition. And believe me, the public is angrier now than at the time of the poll tax riots. Seriously.
In your shoes I would (a) instruct dodgy expense claimers to be contrite (not just to repay some money but actually say ‘Fair cop. Sorry.’) and then call for an immediate general election.
Not just because I think you *should* but because I believe you’d actually make considerable political gain from it.
Rob Shepherd
well, that’s not quite true – the newspapers are claiming scalps, for example Shahid Malik has now resigned. I suggest you check some of those who have stayed beneath the radar regarding MPs expenses – Joan Ryan for example. She lives in Enfield North, in the London suburbs, but claims the maximum second home allowance when Westminster is only nine miles away.
“Federal Executive meets on Monday, and this whole question is of course on our agenda. Vince Cable, as Deputy Leader, and David Shutt, as our Chief Whip in the Lords, will be there, and I predict a ‘full and frank’ exchange of views.”
So – is the Rennard issue actually going to be resolved one way or another? Or is the hope that it can just be swept quietly under the carpet?
If the latter, please let’s not have any more pious statements from Clegg about standards in public life!