From outside the Westminster bubble, there is a positive vision for the future – and some sensible rules on expenses

Harriet Harman has said this week that the Westminster expenses row is creating "an anti-politics mood" – which is something of an understatement. As people feel the effects of the global economic collapse in their own pockets, the raw anger directed at the complacency and excess of politicians from all of the Westminster parties reaches fever pitch. Revelations that MPs claimed for mortgages they’d already paid off, or profited directly from properties paid for by the taxpayer, are profoundly incriminating.

Then we have the ugly spectacle of Westminster politicians trying to outdo each other in the piety stakes; who did or didn’t claim for this or that lightbulb, which MPs do or don’t go in for the sort of interior design extravagance that would make Elton John blush. It’s all very embarrassing. And most seriously, it’s a massive turn-off for voters and anyone who cares about serving the public good. When these are the figures people associate with politics, it’s no wonder the mood has turned to one of anger and dismay. We now know that the expenses system requires a complete overhaul.

It’s clear that not all MPs are implicated – and important to remember the many hard-working politicians in Westminster. But it’s also important to remember that this particular political disaster is just the tip of the iceberg into which the government looks set to crash. Expenses may be the story of the day, but much bigger issues form the wider context of the current disillusionment with politics. The gradual erosion of democratic accountability and civil liberties, increasing inequality, and cowardice and mismanagement in the face of financial collapse – followed by increasing unemployment.

So the floor is being thrown open to alternative, non-Westminster parties to stake a claim in the new political landscape. Now is the time to resist attempts from far-right parties who seek to capitalise on the anti-politics mood and rising unemployment with a narrow agenda informed by racism and ignorance – but who offer nothing at all in the way of practical policies to create a fairer and more sustainable economy. These policies are what most people are looking for.

Labour hopes to frighten its disillusioned voters into staying true to the party by warning that the anti-politics mood might fuel a move to the far right, and the warning is justified. But are people really turning to the BNP in their droves? I don’t think so, though many journalists seem to – they make the point so often you’d think they were on Nick Griffin’s payroll.

A crucial election to decide the shape of the UK’s representation in the European parliament is a mere three weeks away. It’s a sad state of affairs that most of the talk will focus on apathy, cynicism and the potential of anti-government feeling to feed far-right extremism. The public has zero confidence in the ability of the current political leadership to guide us through. What politics needs now is a more positive, clear-thinking approach.

Greens want to engage people and rejuvenate the democratic process by addressing not only the failed expenses system, but also challenging the broader issues of cynicism and apathy, and providing progressive solutions to the unprecedented global challenges which we face. Where expenses are concerned, MPs and councillors should not be allowed to decide these matters for themselves. We need an independent commission to regulate MPs’ allowances. It should be a criminal offence for MPs to knowingly over-claim – just as it is to knowingly over-claim benefits.

The European parliament system is also in dire need of review and indeed, important changes are already in motion. The Greens have voted time and time again to make the expenses system fair, transparent, and protected from abuse. As a member of the cross-party Campaign for Parliamentary Reform (CPR), I have called for the introduction of an efficient and transparent system for reimbursing members’ expenses, and for transparent rules on the funding of political parties. Greens have also campaigned to abolish the European parliament’s monthly move to Strasbourg, which is both hugely costly and environmentally damaging, and to improve working conditions for parliamentary staff. There is more information about these issues on my website.

Greens believe that MPs in the UK should have a single designated home, and when those who don’t live in London need to stay there, they should be paid a flat-rate overnight allowance – to cover only for the nights the MP needs to be in London. This would be sufficient to pay for hotel accommodation, rent or to contribute to the cost of buying a property. Then individual MPs could choose what suited them best, with no scope for abusing the system.

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You can read the whole article online here.

ENDS