Changing the Speaker's clothes will not change Parliamentary Standards

17th June 2009 - The Parliamentary Expenses Row

Only a few weeks ago, Jackie Smith, the former home secretary said: “We have standards in this country”. Coming from her, this was a good laugh, but there is a serious point.

Since the expenses scandal broke, politicians from all political parties have been falling over each other to propose reforms which might prevent this kind of corruption ever happening again. These range from taking away the Speaker’s fancy clothes to the introduction of proportional representation. Some MP’s have even gone as far as suggesting that summer should be cancelled until this is all sorted out!

This is typical of the reaction of the Thatcher and Blair eras. If there was a problem, it was something wrong with the system. So, change the system! And if they kept changing things and moving the goal posts, the government would always stay one step ahead of the press. That way, nobody would notice that the last initiative was not evaluated before it was overtaken by the next one. What follows is change for the sake of change, which in the end produces only an illusion of progress, while the real consequence is widespread disillusion and demoralisation.

To take some examples, why should proportionally elected MP’s behave in a different way to our first past the post MP’s? Why should MP’s have a greater sense of responsibility just because the speaker is made to change his clothes?

It is time politicians realised that the problem infects not just Parliament but the whole of society. It has nothing to do with systems, but everything to do with morality. In a world where everything is relative and nothing is sacred, there can be no absolute standards. Everybody will advance and protect their own interests – whatever the rules.

The benefits cheat sees nothing wrong in milking the system for every penny he can get. The collapse of absolute values tempts parents to cheat on their spouses, with little regard to the impact on their children. The superstore sees it has a legitimate interest in eliminating competition – irrespective of the impact on independent businesses. The banker thinks he can make a greater profit if he can treat a loan as a product that can be bought and sold, instead of lending money in a responsible way.  So why should we be surprised if MP’s make rules on expenses which they can bend to their best advantage? The rules are broken in spirit only – the MP’s think they have done nothing wrong. They, like the bankers, have simply complied with the letter of the law.

Not long ago, there were strong moral pressures which bound politicians to act properly. The Conservative Party was closely associated with the Church of England, and the Labour Party, with the Methodist movement. Moral principles were absolute.

Now this has all changed. The Christian church is now just one of many dying industries. The consequence is a complete failure of standards throughout   society – not just in politics.

The only way out of this moral vacuum is for our main political parties to reconnect with traditional Christian standards, and ensure that these are taught in schools. The problem will not be solved by changing the Speaker’s clothes!