April 7: Probity pledge
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I suppose that
any public declaration from would-be MPs that they will strive to
behave to the highest standards of probity should be
welcomed.
On the other hand, it says a lot
about how far the reputation of politicians and politics has fallen
that candidates standing for election feel they need to make such
public declarations to fight a clean campaign as they strive to win
our support.
So, I'm not entirely sure what
to make about a joint declaration by Conservative candidates
Tracy Crouch (Chatham and Aylesford);
Rehman Christi (Gillingham) and Mark
Reckless (Rochester and Strood) to sign a "Clean
Campaign Pledge" that is aimed at "providing voters with a clear
personal commitment to behave responsibly and fairly during the
forthcoming campaign period, and to uphold high standards if
successfully elected to Westminster."
I was intrigued nevertheless by some
of the pledges the candidates commit to should they be elected.
They include a promise to "open up the unedited expenses claims to
local newspapers at the end of every financial year" which is
welcome and to be commended.
There’s also a promise "never
to claim for food, furniture or household goods" – aspects of
which, under new Parliamentary rules, will in any case not be
permitted.
And does it mean that the three will
not be claiming, as they are going to be allowed to, up to £15 for
evening meals when the House of Commons is sitting late?We will
have to wait and see.
There is also a pledge to meet all tax
liabilities such as stamp duty on houses personally – which
overlooks the fact that MPs are in time to be banned from having
second homes.
You can read the full declaration on
Tracy Crouch's website here>>
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I
tuned into the last Prime Minister’s Question Time
before polling day and it was the usual bunfight, with even more
political point-scoring and schoolboy shouting going on.
Damian Green, the
Ashford MP, got in a question about figures apparently showing
fewer UK private sector workers in jobs now than in 1997 - the aim
being to undermine Brown’s much-criticised pledge to give British
jobs to British people. The PM replied rather weakly with a pop at
the Conservative immigration policy on quotas.
It was all fairly shameless and
unedifying but entirely predictable. I like PMQs and wouldn’t want
the drama to disappear but there are times when you watch and just
groan at the antics in the chamber.
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Election tie watch. Remember 1997?
It was de rigeur for New Labour-ites
to sport red ties against shiny white shirts. The shiny white
shirts are still there and Gordon Brown was sporting one on his
Kent tour yesterday but his tie was a rather fetching shade of
lilac.
Meanwhile, Paul Clark
MP, who is standing for Labour in Gillingham, stuck with
the classic New Labour shade of red. Or should that be the Old New
Labour shade?
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The Sun has already
come out in support of David Cameron. Nothing the
matter with that. But a reporter covering Gordon Brown's
visit yesterday let slip just exactly what the paper's approach was
during the campaign, confiding that his job was to find as much as
he could that would show the PM in a bad light.
Actually, he used a slightly different
and rather more robust formulation of words to explain his mission
but I can't reproduce them here as several would have to be heavily
asterisked.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Still, it was good to see The
Times giving the KM a namecheck in its election coverage
today. Page 7 if you're at all interested...
Wednesday, April 07 2010
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