I want to make it clear I would never condone the behaviour of whoever slashed Hazel Blears's car tyres. Such behaviour is counter-productive and also extremely frightening for whoever is at the receiving end. But to pretend, as Blears has done, it is just the behaviour of disaffected kids is equally wrong and not facing up to reality.
The fact is that Hazel Blears has lost the respect of many of her constituents, and that she should have been hauled in along with other Ministers to explain their conduct and, if necessary, face the consequences.
I think the public perception is that waving cheques around for £13,000 , the sum she avoided Capital Gains Tax by via an expenses scam , is too little too late and hardly likely to endear her to anyone struggling on a low income and wondering why an MP they invested faith in has let them down so badly.
Rule 1 for MPs. Never lose touch with the people who vote for you.
If you hang out with rich people, live a lifestyle vastly removed from the day-to-day experience of your voters, then don't be too surprised when people get angry.
Salford CLP , in my opinion, should have passed a vote of no confidence in Blears and elected someone who would have credibility with the electorate.
Monday, 10 August 2009
HAZEL AND THE SLASHERS
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
6 comments:
But she avoided it entirely legally, and did only what any accountant would advise anyone in the same situation to do.
And I don't believe a single one of the baying hordes who claim they would have done anything different.
The British public have come out of this far worse than MP's, in my opinion, and I think many people will not want to be an MP under such circumstances. The fact is that many MP's currently take a pay cut to enter parliament and in my view, running the country should receive remuneration of a senior professional.
But is happening MP's especially those parachuted into areas, have no real feeling or idea, OK Hazel is not one of these but mine is.
We think Plaid will win the next election down here because she lives in the area speaks about the area, while the Labour MP makes so many errors and talks about the country not our area.
She is fighting now to keep Labour in power in the area, it has had a Labour MP since 1902 but not much longer me thinks.
Mike, all kinds of things are "legal" and all kinds of accountants are legitimately able to ensure their clients stash money away in all kinds of places and make big profits.
Hazel Blears milked the system to the hilt. So she should not be surprised that people in her constituency are angry.
I was a school governor during my time in Salford. The schol in question had around 90 per cent of its kids qualifying for free school meals.
It's not "romanticising" anything to say that HB's constiotuency is one of the poorest in England and that that a local MP should keep their feet on the ground and not get on the gravy train.
I think to suggest that a basic rate of £67,000 a year is not enough for an MP, nor commensurate with a "senior professional" is also pushing it a bit. By any standards, it's a bloody good salary. And if it's not enough for some MPs, they are clearly in the wrong job
I think the main problem with the expenses fallout is the complete lack of contrition by Blears and the other MPs guilty of some disgraceful excesses.
Waving cheques around for thousands of pounds only compounds the problem; Joe Public will look at that and will be entitled to wonder why so many MPs appear to be leaving parliament complaining of low wages. As you say Susan, 67k per annum is more than enough, and that's before all the other jobs some of them have.
More of my thoughts are here: http://spennypost.blogspot.com/2009/08/rats-leaving-sinking-ship-they-sunk.html
Truth is that in London terms, it really isn't a very high salary, and it certainly isn't enough to keep two properties going, which is what we expect. At one time an MP lived in London and returned to the constituency once a month. They didn't do all this letter writing - their job wasn't casework. I think we should return to that situation, personally. The MP can do very little in any case. By having a London based parliament, we do set salary level expectations in that context. I agree that its entirely different up here and I think it would be intriguing to move Parliament to, say, Bradford or Liverpool and see if such salaries could be justified. It might even be a way of filling up all the empty flats built before the credit crunch in the city centre!
The only thing she did was what anyone does if they have two homes and sell one of them. Sure, tighten that rule, but I'd certainly have done the same in her position, and I think anyone with any sense would too. I really suspect self-appointed 'saints' and certainly don't want a parliament full of ascetic Frank Fields! Hobsbawn once said that all revolutions are puritan, which is why I have always preferred the reformist 'good life' social democracy of Crosland and Jenkins. I don't have an ascetic bone in my body.
I think MP's by the nature of being MP's aren't in touch with those they represent. Most of us don't move between two homes, rarely seeing families and friends or doing anything 'normal'.
I do think that the public reaction to the expenses issues was excessive and hypocritical. I'm afraid I have no illusions as to the moral standing of the working classes.
Mike, I take your point about London being more expensive. But some London MPs were actually claiming for TWO homes while being in the position of commuting distance from the House Of Commons.
Step forward Ann Keen, Jon Cruddas, Margaret Moran and others who just don't need a second home. Mps outside London should of course get help with a second home. But it does not have to be kitted out with the latest gear or anything other than functional.
And I really don't see how you can argue that £67,000 is not a decent whack.Add the "extras" like the £400 a month food entitlement, travel, staffing alowance and so on and the reality is it's more like £80,000.
Yes, MPs outside London are separated from their families. But most MPs I know in the north leave London Thursday and go back Monday. Those with young families tend these days to re-locate them there.And the bottom line is that being based in London is in the job spec.
So I'm afraid i have no sympathy whatsover with the nonsense Denis McShane was spouting in The Observer about how hard done by Mps are, which is on John Spence's Spennypost.
Post a Comment