How dare they? It's time to clean up Westminster
How dare the Westminster establishment seek to exempt themselves from the laws that they have inflicted upon the rest of the country? Daniel Hannan makes the case brilliantly.
1. Over the past decade, they inflict massively high taxation on the country - but then award themselves de facto tax-free salary raises aka expenses.
2. They unilaterally exempt themselves the laws they themselves have passed. For example over all-women short lists and equality legislation.
3. Labour MPs pass the Freedom of Information Act - but now try to exempt themselves from it.
It's time to make the political establishment in Westminster answerable to the rest of the country - and, as Daniel and I propose in our book, The Plan - they can start by living under the same set of rules as everyone else. Apart from being able to say what they want without fear of being sued, or arrested by the police for holding government to account, MPs ought to live pretty much like the rest of us as citizen lawmakers.
If that happens, perhaps our political masters might look more favourably at having lower taxes, less intrusive legislation - and they'd be viewed with a little less contempt.
Posted on 16 January 2009 by Douglas Carswell