My MP is on role of shame

Thanks to Jo Anglezarke for pointing this out. Have a look to see if your MP is on the role of shame. No surprise here that my MP, Michael Foster (Labour- Worcester) is on there. It would be easy to quickly point out how so many are Labour MPs, but thinking about it a bit more, David Cameron was speaking boldly of how it needed voted for, yet so many of his MPs went against him. Doesn't that reveal something about the reliability and positions of many conservative MPs.

Our first MP scandal and it was only £1500

Paul Burstow a LibDem whip used pre-paid Commons envelopes for newsletters attacking a tory candidate. He did this against Parliamentary regulations. This BBC report shows the conservatives have been trying to make a huge deal out of it, hopefully without much success. The reality is Mr. Burstow explained it was, "a simple administrative error which shouldn't have happened and won't happen again". He said he stopped it as soon as he found out about it and he has offered to pay the £1,500, from taxpayers money back. Well in comparison with the scandals from the labour and tories benches I'd say that was pretty small and Mr. Burstow handled it quite well. I think my labour MP Michael Foster did a similar thing using wrong expenses to send letters to his constituents and he was aloud to completely get away with it.

Nick Clegg visits Malvern

I went to see Nick Clegg at a question and answers public session in Malvern (in the West Worcestershire constituency, a key conservative-liberal democrat marginal) tonight. He of course pledged that if elected as leader once a week he would leave the Westminster bumble to meet with ordinary people. He did it very successfully.

He started talking for a short time by talking about how a gulf had emerged between people and politics. How they are so disillusioned due to the system and MPs taking actions like to vote to make sure they covered up expenses. He said how increased transparency was an important thing he wanted to achieve.
Question and answers followed. Here are some of the issues raised:
Mental Health is an important issue that Nick Clegg has been attacking the Government on and that was the topic of the first questions. Clegg spoke of the terrible underfunding, how some patients have to wait 3 years for treatment, how 1 in 4 families are effected by the huge problem, how drugs have been used as a substitute for effective treatment, and how standards were at Victorian level. He also attacked the centralised system and spoke of how we needed directly elected local health boards. He also as he does often compared with European systems and showed how much better they were with a decentralised system.
Someone asked about the mistreatment of Asylum Seekers and whether the LibDems would actually be different to the Xenphobic attitudes from the two major parties, if we were in power. Clegg spoke of the appalling treatment of Asylum Seekers. He said how through the media and how the politicians display it, we forget that they are humans, and they are desperate humans. He said the fundamental of a system must be fair, he spoke of how in Canada there is an independent system. This means it can't be interfered with by politicians and is a quick system. Clegg also said if Asylum Seekers don't receive a decision in 12 weeks they should be aloud to work while here, taking the burden of tax payers and stopping them falling into being illegal immigrants.
The Parliamentary Candidate for Wyre Forest, asked how we could make the electorate stop seeing the EU as evil but as a good thing. Clegg spoke very clearly on the EU getting rid of the Myths. To describe how great the EU could be he said how we can't work on climate change, immigration, big corporations and trade with the US and China on our own. He said the US will listen to the EU as it is so huge but not necessarily to the UK. The EU can also stand up to Russia as it bullies it's neighbours. He spoke clearly on the ideas of how the EU is plotting to take away our independence, showing how ridiculous the ideas were and said because we are stronger in the EU we actually have more control over our problems.
On fuel poverty Nick Clegg said he was worried about this winter. A 40% rise is expected in price off domestic gas and already 4million people are in fuel poverty. Nick Clegg said this could amount to repossession's. He spoke of how we can force fuel companies to take action in recycling some £9bn subsidies they were given for something or other. Nick Clegg later spoke of how the economic problems with this on top could cause big problems in the winter, perhaps hinting at a looming recession.
On Green Issues Clegg spoke of how tax should be change. How we should tax pollution and relieve the poor from heavy income tax. Of course talking about the Green Tax Switch. He spoke of incentives that could help drive companies. He also said how poor people don't feel they can afford to help the environment and the need to change that.
Clegg spoke on council housing and how it had been abandoned by labour. He said how 1.6mn were on the waiting list.
There were many questions on the need for reengaging people with politics. Clegg spoke of community involvement and power, an example was community justice panels which have had a huge effect at reducing re-offending. He also spoke of how in Sheffield the LibDem council were giving money to the local wards to use in effective ways, suited to the community. Clegg wasn't enthusiastic about the idea of forcing people to vote, although said they should always have a "non of the above" box so they can abstain, but said forcing people to vote could make people even more disillusioned with politics. One question on the subject was about how much influence media like the Daily Mail might have. Clegg said we may exaggerate the problem and how nowadays people get their news through a range of media. He also said local and regional papers were getting more powerful as are more trusted. He sited this as a reason for leaving the 'Westminster bumble' to local places. And he's right, I did see WorcesterNews' political reporter in the hall.

I was amazed by Nick Clegg's skill. He was able to talk a lot of sense. He made logical explanations and was able to get rid off myths. He spoke directly to the people who asked the questions and did well at getting the audience on his side. I suspect he may have won perhaps a hundred or so votes in West Worcestershire.

Nick Clegg speaks out of MPs Expenses

Well done Nick Clegg on speaking out on MP's expenses. Nick Clegg said "The reason why this feels like a needless, additional hammer blow to public confidence in the House of Commons and what MPs do, is, I think we all now accept, that there should be full declaration of all MPs' expenses." Standing up on these issues is important. Lib Dem MP Mark Oaten, who was among the 14 on the list, said he had not been asked whether he wanted to appeal and was concerned it looked like "we are trying to hide something".

Commons wants to hide expenses

The Commons has appealed against the realise of a detailed breakdown of the expenses of 14 MPs including the Prime Minister's and David Cameron's. Under the current system it's perfectly ok for money (£22,000 a year under the Addition-Cost Allowance) to be used in second homes and extensions. MP's can claim £10,000 for a kitchen, £6,000 for a bathroom and £750 for a TV, the press call it the "John Lewis List". The system is a complete mess. There should be no need for these types of allowances, it should be fixed under the standard wages. Yes some types of allowances may be necessary but the ACA (Additional-Cost Allowance) is a ridiculous system. The Liberal Democrats remain pretty clean at the moment under these times, although Nick Clegg doesn't seem to be making a big enough thing about that. Probably because he knows the media would be able to pick on just one Liberal Democrat MP who had spent excessive amounts, or taken advantage of the system.

Scotland Yard say "lack of systems"-MP expenses

Nick Clegg has spoken most strongly about changing MP's expenses and ofcourse about completely changing Westminster to regain trust in our democracy (that is if people have ever trusted our democracy, I'm too young). The MP's expenses system clearly needs overhauling, it needs rebuilt. It's quite clear. Well now Scotland Yard can't even investigate MP Derek Conway because of the "lack of systems". Nick Clegg has spoken up on this. He is doing well at forcing the Liberal Democrat message to be heard.

MPs expences must be transformed

The system is a mess and the scandals have been a huge blow to people's faith in our democracy and our politicians. The problems have fueled the beliefs of how all politicians are as bad as each other, therefor voting is a waste of time.
The current system seems to allow MPs to get away with all sorts of things, with it justified. Michael Martin has taken ridiculous expenses but it's perfectly within the rules. Nick Clegg has defended Michael Martin saying he's "fully committed" to reforming the system.
I think we need to be taking a bold stance on this issue. The Liberal Democrats must radically show how the system must be transformed and made transparent. By doing this we can bring about trust from the public.