A PARLIAMENT OF WHORES!

The Sunday Times (21st March) sting that netted a former Labour cabinet minister (amongst others), who happily boasted about how he used his government contacts to change policies in favour of businesses, should come as no surprise to anyone with an eye to what goes on the what has best been described as this current 'parliament of whores' some members of which are busy selling themselves for personal profit.

The New Labour member in question was good old Stephen Byers, the former trade and transport secretary, he was secretly recorded offering himself “like a sort of cab for hire” (for want of a better phrase) for up £5,000 a day. He also suggested bringing Tony Blair to meet clients. Byers was among several politicians recorded by an undercover reporter posing as a company executive looking to hire MPs for lobbying work.

The Sunday Times names:

• Patricia Hewitt, a former health secretary, who claimed she helped to obtain a key seat on a government advisory group for a client paying her £3,000 a day.
  

• Geoff Hoon, the former defence secretary, offered to lead delegations to ministers and told the reporter that he was looking to turn his knowledge and contacts into “something that frankly makes money”. He said he charged £3,000 a day.

• Margaret Moran, the Luton MP who was forced to pay back £22,500 in expenses, boasted that she could ring a “girls’ gang” of colleagues on behalf of clients. Among those she named were: Jacqui Smith, the former home secretary; Hazel Blears, the former communities secretary; and Harriet Harman, the deputy leader of the Labour party.

The investigation and the interviews were undertaken as part of a joint investigation by The Sunday Times and Channel 4’s Dispatches programme in which 13 Labour MPs and seven Conservatives were approached. The uncomfortable disclosures should raise further questions about the relationship between the large number of MPs leaving parliament next month and their contacts who remain in government.

Now while this should be grimly embarrassing for Gordon Brown's failing New Labour Government, it should be doubly embarrassing for the Conservatives. As all of this comes about after David ('Call me Dave') Cameron, the Conservative leader, recently said that lobbying was the next political scandal waiting to happen.

He should know some investigative journalism by The Times (25th September 2009) revealed that 28 prospective Conservative candidates who have reasonably good chances of becoming Tory MPs were actually working as lobbyists or public relations consultants on behalf of businesses and other interests.

The Times has revealed that over a quarter of them got their jobs after being selected to fight seats. A number have put their hands up to admit that they had set up meetings for clients with Conservative Shadow ministers, MPs and officials. Others said that they provided advice on the party’s direction and some admitted to lobbying Tory Frontbenchers on behalf of clients.

At least one fifth of his 150 parliamentary candidates who are likely to get freshly elected will have worked in the nicely lucrative field of public affairs or communications. Ironically, The Times notes, only 7 Labour and 3 Lib Dem parliamentary candidates (with a chance of being elected) will have had jobs in public relations or communications.

Concerns within the troubled depths of the Conservative Party may have prompted action from Francis Maude, the Shadow Cabinet Office Minister, who last week suggested that lobbyists may face statutory regulation if they did not volunteer more information on clients and consultants, he went on to say:’ “Greater openness and transparency is needed to help ensure high standards in public life” ‘, I think that the jury may still be out on that one…amongst the Tories, but perhaps not amongst the electorate.

These people (New Labour or Conservative) are so cut of from reality that they think that this sort of behaviour is acceptable - it might be to them and within their obviously pretty limited social circles, but it's not acceptable to most people, especially the voters. We need strict rules to restrict the activities of former elected members in relation to lobby, at a very basic level no one should be able to use the knowledge that they have accumulated while engaged in public service.

For at the end of the day, public service is actually what being an MP is actually about, not using ones position to line your pocket. Former MPs should not be able to get a job that is engaged in lobby activity for a minimum of 5 years after ceasing to be an MP. The bottom line being go get a real job!