Sleaze

Back to square one it seams. All that stuff about cleaning up politics after the sleaze scandals of the Major government seems to have been forgotten. We have got to put a stop to this. Selling influence on policy is corruption pure and simple. Frightened party leaders promise new laws to clamp down on this political spivdom. They had better do it. Of course, it should not be necessary. There should be sufficient inherent honesty in the make up of those we send to represent us, for them to behave properly without the need for legal sanction. As it is, what is needed is something similar to insider dealing laws which now curb cheating in the City. In my book I make the case for transferring the power base of MPs from Westminster to their Constituencies. (Readers of this blog might like to go to  2010 A Blueprint For Change Part 3 Chap. 21 for details).

There  is another disturbing issue to worry voters. Reports tell of huge wealth being accumulated by Tony Blair since leaving office. There is a tradition of Prime Ministers retiring and doing well financially out of writing and lectures. Churchill and Thatcher were in much demand.  Macmillan, Home, Wilson and Callaghan wrote and spoke a bit. Heath remained politically active and muttering  almost to the end of his life, but wrote rather well on hobbies such as sailing and music.  Major pops up here and there after a successful autobiography. 

Blair is coining it in right left and centre. I suppose if people want to pay him for a moment of his passing time and the gem of one of his messianic thoughts, bully for him. When one compares the activity of this religious devotee with that of, for example Bob Geldorf, something does not look right. When one learns that he is being paid very large sums to advise an oil company about business prospects in Iraq something looks very, very, wrong. Wicked even.