Add
a large chunk of the Queen’s 90th birthday, a generous helping of a
state visit from Obama, add a couple of tablespoons of random statements on
whether we should remain in the EU, a pinch of the Donald Trump and a splash of
will Leicester City win the Premier League……mix well and bake for a few days.
And what do you get……the whole tax avoidance scandal swept nicely under the
carpet for all at Government. Well, for the time being anyway.
Having
had time to reflect on the tax avoidance mess, a few things keep cropping up
that really don’t sit comfortably with me.
Firstly,
the public display of “I’ve got nothing to hide Gov’na” that has seen a number
of senior members of Government disclose their tax returns. Hang on……should
they not be available to the public anyway? MP’s are meant to be fair and
transparent after all. And whilst we are at it, the financial affairs and tax
returns of immediate family should be disclosed also. If MP’s don’t like it,
then they don’t have to stand for election. It should be a privilege to be an
MP and that may have to come with increased sacrifices. So be it.
Secondly,
it is very difficult to understand how and why MP’s vote in a certain way.
Their vote should represent the opinion of their constituents……but all too
often they vote differently without having to go on record as to the rationale
for it. Having MP’s financial affairs in the public domain at least allows us
to eliminate a financial conflict of interest!
There
are currently 650 MP’s that vote for the greater good of the UK. Yet we just
don’t know how their voting preferences affect their personal circumstances or
that of their family.
Surely
it’s time to up our game on transparency.
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