Expenses scandal update

LA to Jeff in England:

So, after the huge upheaval and trauma over the expenses scandal, where do things stand now? Did it change British politics as much as it was thought it was going to do a few weeks ago? Is it still going on? Has it petered out?

It does seem that Gordon the Undead has survived.

Jeff replies:

Good question.

The effects of the Expense scandal are still with us.

While it is not quite as hot a topic of conversation as it was, it is still being talked about and thought about in the media and in public forums. The Telegraph is still printing daily expense revelations although they have been criticised for “stretching” the issue so to speak.

Every day you hear about a mainstream party politician (of all three main parties) deciding not to stand in the next election. Because of this a significant number of new MPs from all mainstream parties will be taking office in the next House of Commons.

A new Speaker, the maverick Conservative John Bercow, has been voted in by MPs. Bercow is also the first Jewish Speaker in the history of the Commons.

The Prime Minister is also drafting new laws to oversee expenses for MPs.

People are still very cynical about the political process in general.

The House of Commons will not return to business as usual.

Of course until the next general election we will not know how the electorate will respond. Probably they will vote in a Conservative government. But the fringe parties such as the Greens, UKIP and to a lesser extent the BNP should increase their vote.

In short, the issue has not been forgotten.

I wish people were so passionate about the immigration issue.

LA replies:

I’ve never heard of a member of the non-ruling party being chosen for speaker. How could that happen? Was it a response to the scandal, that Labor was so tarnished that they had to bring in a Conservative?

That he’s a Conservative seems to me a much bigger deal than that he’s Jewish.

Jeff replies:

These are unusual times.

The key point is that Bercow is actually very unpopular among the Conservatives which makes him attractive to Labour.

But it wasn’t a given that a Conservative would get the job.

Posted by Lawrence Auster at June 29, 2009 02:58 PM | Send