Sunday 17 May 2009

MPs expenses and behaviour - the future! ?

It's this kind of thing that got me all fired up last June and caused me to decide:

Enough is enough.

I'm not going to be treated like this - by the present system and the County Councillors on the Neighbourhood Forum - which most of you won't have heard about because the Cllrs don't publicise the meetings.

So I fought as best I could and as I was getting nowhere, I raised my game:

Can't beat 'em. Join 'em.

When elected I'll again try to get the procedure changed.

From my experience of speaking to the County Council last year, I can see that I'll be upsetting a few apple carts as I buck against an archaic system that prevents freedom of speech in the council chamber.

A system where you are careful not to upset the committee chairman because he will overrule you and won't grant you "the privilege" of speaking.

A system akin to that in Parliament where the speaker has enormous power and you try not to upset him. Well this week I suspect the MPs will be getting rid of Martin, the Speaker, who has been attempting to prevent access to the expenses fiasco information.

Slowly this archaic system will have to change.

Things will have to be much more open so that politicians will have to be more honest.

Getting good MPs in future will be difficult. "If you pay peanuts you get monkeys" comes to mind. ( How many people will want to be a County Councillor for £9,000 / year? with all the time away from home necessary and the need for most people to supplement this income to pay the mortage and feed the kids).

Are there enough dedicated people who will do the job because they have a high regard for their fellow countrymen/town.

One hopes so.

However I haven't found others in Ulverston who want to get involved by being a councillor! If you know someone let me know - I'm willing to help them win their next election if they have a mind of their own and some integrity. The SLDC and Town Council elections can't be too far away.

Time for you/them to show what you/they are made of!

Come on now - have a go! Especially if for no fault of your own you are out of work.

It really can be fun!

Especially if you enjoy having insults thrown at you regularly - as you will find on this blog and even from a certain incumbent County Councillor . . . . who has reformed more recently!

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