It’s not just the money, it’s the sense of entitlement. That’s the cause of sleaze in UK politics | Martin Bell
Look at the Commons: the language, the grandeur, the deference. I was elected on an ‘anti-sleaze’ ticket, and even I found the culture seductive
- Martin Bell is a former independent MP for Tatton
Lately I have been remembering the words attributed to the great Yogi Berra: “It’s like deja vu all over again.” My campaign to become the MP for Tatton seems a long time ago. Indeed, it was a generation ago. Yet in recent weeks it has felt like the day before yesterday.
The issue, now as then, goes under the generic heading of “sleaze”, generally defined as the use of public office for private profit. Then it was the allegation, made against Neil Hamilton MP among others, of receiving cash for asking questions in parliament. (Hamilton denied it, but the parliamentary commissioner for standards, Gordon Downey, found “compelling evidence” against him.)
Martin Bell is a former independent MP for Tatton
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