Richard Baum

I was disappointed this morning to hear an exchange on Radio Five Live about the decision of Angela Smith not to resign after all over the 10p tax rate cut. A listener texted in explaining that in his view the decision to stay in post came about as a result of Gordon Brown reminding Ms Smith about the “extra money, £180k mortgage expenses, and perks” of her job as Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Chief Secretary to the Treasury.

The listener is entitled to his view, but Nicky Capbell (the presenter) didn’t challenge the complete factual inaccuracy of the text, and instead just read it sneeringly, thus adding to the growing tide of disrespect flowing towards parliamentarians and other politicians who are, on the whole, decent people regardless of party allegiance.

I have no idea why Ms Smith flip-flopped over resigning. I think the 10p tax rate abolition is disgraceful, and she clearly has reservations. But people blithely assuming that any decision made by an MP must be about personal greed rather than principle is annoying, and doubly so when it is accepted so casually by the mainstream media. Maybe she just changed her mind, like people do.

PPSs don’t get paid, so deciding not to resign actually means more work for no more money at all. In addition, this whole issue of expenses is blown ludicrously out of proportion in my view. Out of the 600+ MPs, of course there will be one or two who take more than they should. Derek Conway’s conduct was neck-deep in the immoral and probably bordered on the criminal. He has brought politicians into disrepute, but the disrepute that has been brought to them is way out of proportion to the reality.

Of course all of our MPs are in the public eye and should be held to a higher standard than those not paid from the public purse. But the reason expenses claims seem so high isn’t because MPs are on the take, but because they need somewhere to live, and they need to furnish it, and they need to staff an office to do their job, and they need to travel up and down the country, and they need to eat away from home, and they need to try and not let their families disintegrate through distance, as well as actually having to do a job for which the weight of expectation can never be met. And I bet every penny in my pockets that the vast majority of them got into it for the right reasons - wanting to bring about a positive change, wanting to follow their beliefs, and wanting to make a difference to people’s lives.

If MPs only got into politics for the money and the perks, they made a very poor choice. They should’ve become lawyers or bankers instead. A lot more money for a lot less hassle. I reckon that David Cameron is way down the list of top earners compared to his chums from Eton and Oxford. And of the 600+ MPs, a dozen or so might get a car and a driver in exchange for working 100 hour weeks, but the rest probably lead fairly miserable lives spent mostly on trains and in lonely flats.

On the doorstep in the campaign I am staggered by how poor the regard for politicians and politics in general is. There’s a tired government, battling a weakening economy, and for the first time ever in this country those two factors are being scrutinised by a 24 hour news media and an internet which stretches into every nook and cranny of everyone’s lives. And the Tory opposition is gaining ground less because of its wide array of groundbreaking policies (which doesn’t exist) but more because of a vague desire for “change” caused by being “sick of that Labour lot.” It’s so sad to hear on the doorstep that someone is voting Tory rather than Labour, but doing so in the strident belief that the Tories will do no better.

I long for some positivity in the media, because obviously it is the media which drives the agenda and forms the opinions. MPs of all parties make wonderful speeches, come up with great ideas, and set them forth only for the front pages the next day to be dominated by the one dissenting voice. Of course all sides should have their say, but let’s have fairness with it and shine a light on the positives.

Maybe tonight, and over the weekend, sentiment may change. And don’t get me wrong, the people who are nice on the doorstep, of all political allegiances, still outweigh the ones who aren’t. But I much prefer someone to say “Yes! I’m voting Lib Dem!” than hearing them say “I’m sick of Labour so I’ll give you people a shout this time.” And at the moment, I’m hearing lots of the latter as well as lots of the former.

Rick