THE notion that new MPs should undergo ethical training would have seemed absurd only a few years ago.
Surely the whole purpose of elections was to choose people of integrity to represent communities and govern the country? Sadly, since the expenses scandal rocked Westminster, that old view has seemed hopelessly naive. Over the space of a shocking few months in 2009 it emerged that MPs (not all but more than a few) were content to exploit lax rules to line their pockets.
A number ignored the rules entirely, broke the law of the land and were jailed. Many more resigned from senior positions, were disciplined by their party or decided to step down from parliament and avoid humiliation at the hands of the voters. The scandal shattered the public's faith in the political classes. Five years on, ethical training sounds the minimum that voters should expect.
MPs should not have too many grumbles. Yet that is exactly what the chairman of the Committee on Standards in Public Life, Lord Paul Bew, faced when the watchdog body considered how Parliament could be brought into line with other public bodies.
In a report yesterday he recommended that all new MPs should undergo ethical training, warning that it could not be left to chance that they understood their duty to be honest, open, accountable and selfless. At the same time, he recognised the issue was delicate, having been told by many parliamentarians that classes in how to behave would impugn their integrity and even their common sense. Despite the anger over the expenses scandal, the old mentality persists.
MPs are different from other public servants. They should campaign and ask awkward questions. If they are constrained by unelected watchdogs, their mandate is checked and democracy undermined. But they are not above taking part in the kind of induction sessions that take place in workplaces every day.
MPs still have a long way to go to rebuild the trust they squandered. In a separate intervention yesterday, parliament's sleaze watchdog, Standards Commissioner Kathryn Hudson, voiced grave concern that MPs have yet to approve new rules on their behaviour two years after they were proposed. Tighter regulations on lobbying and new powers allowing the standards commissioner to investigate private and personal behaviour that might bring the House of Commons into disrepute have been left in limbo because it is feared MPs would vote them down. A Recall Bill, promised in 2010, has finally emerged but provides only limited powers for voters to force a by-election if their MP is guilty of serious wrongdoing. Under the Government's plans, the process will be closely controlled by parliament.
The Scottish Parliament is not perfect but it has avoided much of the damage Westminster has inflicted on itself, thanks in part to its transparent expenses system and, perhaps, a closer relationship with the public. All politicians, however, should remember they are elected each and every day, not just once every four or five years. That way, trust would be assured.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article