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I serve you and our country, not myself or a political party.

21 May 2009

I welcome the Speaker’s decision to go, but that does not solve the problems.

Parliament is suffering a nervous breakdown, so how can we revive it?

We must hold a General Election NOW.

Prosecute MPs guilty of fraud.

Cut political party funding (I pressed for this in the House but Tories stopped me and actually increased political Party funding!).

Cut the size and cost of Parliament by a third.

Cut unaccountable, expensive, high-salaried quangos, (I argued this in Parliament, Tories want yet more quangos!).

Take back control of our country from the EU, saving British jobs and £ billions.

Make MPs more independent of party political whips.

Strengthen Parliament’s control of the Government.

I call on MPs to back me on these more quickly than they backed me on the Allowances issue.

Like Tory views on Gurkhas, this is all ON THE RECORD!

Mr Cameron may have paid back his gardening claim and be very persuasive, but is he to be totally trusted, or is he a bit too much like Mr Blair?

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Yesterday In Parliament

Bob Spink (Castle Point) (Ind): I welcome the long-overdue interim measures to cut allowances, but will the Leader of the House plan to make the House authorities the employer of MPs’ staff and to limit MPs’ second jobs? Then she will have implemented all the recommendations that have been listed in the early-day motions that I have tabled over recent years.

Ms Harman: When it comes to second jobs, I very much agree with what the hon. Gentleman says. There are two issues to consider about remunerated work done by an MP for which they are paid outside this House and which has nothing to do with the House. One is whether it causes them a conflict of interest, and the second is whether it takes their mind off what their proper job should be, which is to represent their constituents.... I very much agree with him on that matter. Sir Christopher Kelly’s committee will be looking at it, and I think that the hon. Gentleman and I will be very much on the same side of the argument. Let us hope that we prevail on that one.

The House has already voted on asking the Members Estimate Committee to look into the employment of staff, and that will be part of the wider discussion.