I don't care who is leaking this stuff - MPs must change

Guido is spot on with his post today about how the focus of anger of many MPs is on whoever is leaking embarrassing information about MPs expenses to the media.

This is exactly what I thought too when I heard last night that the Labour Party is trying to spin relevations that are coming out as politically motivated and being leaked by a Tory mole.

Frankly, I couldn't give a flying toss who is leaking this information and what their motivations are. I actually shouted at the TV last night (I try and stop myself but sometimes can't help it!) that this is utterly irrelevant. If the information is available in the first place then it is because MPs have been playing the system, even if it is within the rules it is clear that public opinion is massively against them and they have to face this and change their practises.

I was actually thinking about this the other day. When Harriet Harman was being questioned about Shred's pension she said that although his contract may be enforceable by law, it is not enforceable in the "court of public opinion" and hence the government would "step in". I wonder whether she takes a similar view about Jacqui Smith trousering over £100K by claiming that a room in her sister's house is her main residence whilst she has a huge house in Redditch where her husband and children live. It is clear that is also not enforceable in the "court of public opinion. Is she now going to "step in"?

It is a shame nobody asked her this at PMQs last week.

Eric Pickles made a fool of himself on Question Time

I watched Question Time last night and whilst Eric Pickles seemed to do OK in the first half, when it came to a question about MPs expenses he made an utter fool of himself.

You can watch it for yourself here. The question is from 38:30 and Pickles contribution starts at about 44:00.

I have transcribed the first part of his answer here:


Dimbleby: Eric Pickles do you have a two house system with an allowance?
Pickles: I do indeed have a two house system and an allowance, but if I could just make a brief contribution...
Dimbleby: How far are you away from Westminster?
Pickles: 37 miles.
Dimbleby: And you need two houses?
(BOOS FROM THE AUDIENCE)
Pickles: And let me, if I could just make this brief contribution to "Hang an MP week"! If I could just...
(SOME LAUGHTER FROM THE AUDIENCE)
Dimbleby: Take your time, take your time.
Pickles: OK, then let me explain why. And I have actually had experience of commuting that distance when my wife was ill, she's fully recovered now. But, for a month I did it and it was an extremely difficult experience, I'll explain why. Because the House of Commons works on clockwork. You have to be there, if you're on a committee, you have to be there precisely. Particularly for someone like me, I was a number two...
(BOOS FROM THE AUDIENCE)
Pickles: Let me explain, let me explain, please just let me explain for a moment. I had to be there, I was number two....
Dimbleby: Like a job in other words?
(BURST OF LAUGHTER FROM AUDIENCE THEN APPLAUSE AND CHEERS)
Pickles: Yes exactly like a job. If you're number two in the opposition, essentially running the committee. So I was, I had to be there at 9:30 to move those amendments. (Points at Ed Davey) - It doesn't matter if a Liberal Democrat isn't there, but it matters if I'm there...
Davey: That's just cheap.
Pickles: But it matters if I'm there, I have to be there so when I was doing it properly, when I was doing this I was leaving home at 5:30 in the morning to guarantee that I was going to be there and I wasn't getting back until about 12 and 1 in the morning. Now you can do that once or twice, you can do that for a while but you've got to understand that the House of Commons runs like clockwork.
(DAVEY AND LUCAS ATTEMPT TO INTERJECT)
Pickles: I have never, ever claimed my full allowance. I have always claimed the amount...
(JEERS FROM THE AUDIENCE)
Pickles: Well you can, I mean I publish them, I've always published them on my website. They've always been there for people to see. I have always been accountable and I can tell you I think things are going to come out in a week's time. You'll find I think I have only cleared about 60% of the allowance, it might even be 55% of the allowance. But I am a serious guy who will put in the hours and I will work for those hours, but I can tell you this, it is no fun doing 5:30 in the morning, right the way through sometimes, now some...
(FURTHER JEERS FROM THE AUDIENCE)
Pickles: You can't be sat on train saying to yourself am I going to make it, am I not going to make it and that's why I do it.


I found his contribution deeply unimpressive. He seemed to be genuinely unable to understand that many people other than MPs have jobs that involve long hours and require them to be there at specific times. None of them get extra houses or thousands of pounds a year to pay for their upkeep. You could tell from the audience's responses that he is totally out of touch.

Eric Pickles is often put forward by Tories as an example of a bluff speaking northerner in their ranks and this performance tonight does not bode well for them. It seems their "Man of the People" is actually a creature of the Westminster Village and hopelessly out of touch, on this issue at least.

UPDATE: Stephen Tall of LDV put up a detailed post about this at the same time as I was posting this. Great minds, etc.

Also further blog reaction here, here and in the comments here.