MPs and second job gravy train

In the week that it emerged that MPs now claim more allowances than they did prior to the 2009 expenses scandal, these findings reaffirm the view that a hard core of politicians are still prepared – through arrogance, hubris or both – to put self-interest before the public interest, and that the whole system of payments and allowances will remain fundamentally flawed until lasting reforms are put in place.

These disclosures, and the lasting damage that they cause, are not helpful to those elected members who can represent their home patch diligently without submitting excessive expenses claims – or feeling the need to accept lucrative directorships in order to satisfy their financial needs or ambitions.

This does not excuse their colleagues who still appear to be in denial about the betrayal of the public interest four years ago. Nor will it assuage the anger of voters after they saw pictures of a virtually empty House of Commons during Foreign Secretary William Hague’s update on the Syria crisis on Thursday, an issue so serious that it had necessitated an emergency recall of Parliament the previous week. If some MPs can operate prudently, why can’t others?

Yes, many MPs will have been otherwise engaged in committee work, or other duties pertaining to the needs of their constituents, but voters are unlikely to be charitable. They will simply conclude that their representatives are on “the gravy train” or have their “snouts in the trough”, two emblematic phrases which have had such a corrosive effect on the reputation of politics because they have been allowed to become common currency.

Yet what people will find galling is the response of Parliament’s biggest- earners, such as David Blunkett, the Sheffield MP. His spokeswoman says that he made clear in his 2010 election address that he intended to maintain his outside interests, and that he continues to give money to charity, but it does not answer this question: how can such MPs convince their constituents that they are full-time politicians when they also have directorships and other roles which add little to the ongoing debate about this country’s future governance?

As MPs grapple with the practicalities of new lobbying laws and Ed Miliband’s call for a cap on the amount that politicians can earn from second jobs, it is difficult to see how such matters will be reconciled when the law-makers are the very people who have an interest in maintaining the unacceptable status quo. Until this is changed, Parliament will remain open to charges of hypocrisy, double standards and conflicts of interest. Is that what they really want?

Road safety is determining factor

AS with so many “core” council services, it is right that the effectiveness of street lighting is reviewed. It is why Richmondshire District Council wants individual towns and parishes across North Yorkshire to have a say on the future arrangements for their community.

However some light needs to be shed on the possible ramifications. Some will welcome the Dales being left in darkness so the beautiful summer sunsets can be truly appreciated, while others will contend that street lighting is an unnecessary expense when councils cannot afford dignified care for the elderly.

Conversely, some will highlight the importance of public safety. Launching a consultation scheme, council leader John Blackie did not shy away from making this assertion: “Darkness is an open door for criminals.”

Even the validity of this comment is open to debate – some would say a police presence is the best deterrent to criminals – but there is one other factor which must not be overlooked in this debate: road safety.

The needs of all road

users, whether it be

drivers, motorcyclists, bicycle riders, pedestrians or horse riders, must be paramount at all times and the primary determining factor when deciding whether roads remain lit – or not.

Retailers return to their roots

LIKE Marks & Spencer, which can trace its roots back to a Leeds market stall in 1894, Hobbs is another iconic name of classic and contemporary fashion which lost its focus, and niche, because of over-expansion.

As such, its customers will welcome the firm’s decision to tailor its latest range around the specific needs of working women, and also a slightly younger clientele, as Hobbs finally returns to its roots as a classic Great British brand.

There is another reason why it is welcome that Hobbs is marking this new era by revamping its stores in Yorkshire – this is the county that still spins the fabrics which are used to make its chic clothes.

Like this county’s thriving food and drink industry, Yorkshire’s remaining textile mills still have an unrivalled reputation for quality.

The tragedy is that they were allowed to go out of fashion as Britain started to import more produce, and that their true value – and potential – is only now being appreciated.