Owen Paterson was found by the Committee on Standards to have abused his position as an MP to promote a company for which he does paid consultancy.
York Outer MP Julian Sturdy is one of the MPs who voted for an amendment to that finding which would essentially allow him to get away with it, and to undermine the system of accountability for MPs.
I find it shocking that one of our MPs wants to undermine the system brought in after the expenses scandal and potentially open the way to more scandals.
Tom Franklin, Frazer Court, York
It is very hard to respect MPs after this vote
Let’s not personalise. Let’s not be accused of playing party politics. Instead let’s look at what the Paterson affair tells us about MPs.
It seems to me there are three key takeaways.
1. Despite being charged with looking after the well-being of the nation and the concerns of 70,000 or so constituents, MPs have time and mental capacity to take on paid roles beyond that of an MP.
2. Despite being paid around £85K with generous expenses and office allowances on top, MPs are paid hundreds of pounds an hour in these extra curricular roles.
3. Despite their closeness to the levers of power we are to believe that having an MP to state your case has no effect on Government policy. The fact that a company which an MP lobbied for then gained a multi-million pound contract from the Government, with no competition whatsoever, is purely coincidental.
To be an MP is possibly the most honourable position a person can aspire to. The above conditions seem to me to shame that position.
The time must surely be at hand when being an MP automatically disbars you from paid income from any source during your time as the people’s representative. Looking after the needs of your constituents and the future of the nation should surely fill a working week. If you can’t manage to do that on about £150K/annum, you don’t have the nouse to be an MP.
To be a good leader requires respect from those you wish to lead. Following this week’s events it’s difficult to have that respect.
David Lewis, Church End, Cawood
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