Andrew MacKay

Credit must be given to Andrew MacKay, not only for his immediate decision to resign as Cameron's special advisor, but also for grasping the bull by the horns and appearing on the Daily Politics where he received a bit of a grilling from Andrew Neill.

I have met Andrew MacKay, where he was my MP as a result of my being resident in Sandhurst, and I know he is an intelligent man. If my own experience of his attention to a problem I had in respect of the care received by my mother in Reading hospital is an example, he is and has been a good constituency MP.

Where I have a problem with his explanation, as given on the Daily Politics show, is that being an intelligent man and regardless of the 'advice' he and his wife, Julie Kirkbride, received from the Fees Office he must surely have realised that a 'problem' existed. Even allowing MacKay the credit for apologising for 'an error of judgement' on his part, yet again we have the excuse being offered that 'it was cleared by the Fees Office' - not good enough I'm afraid.

Much talk has been made by MPs who state it is important that the system of expenses and allowances be 'cleaned up' and made 'transparent', however to my knowledge not one of these MPs has discussed how MPs can be made to 'clean up' themselves. This leaves the impression that whatever system is implemented, MPs will still be looking for 'loopholes' to advance their financial 'well-being'. This latter question can only be solved by all MPs recognising that they each have a responsibility for acceptance and adherence to the 'moral' and 'principle' aspects of being addressed as 'Honourable'. or 'Rt. Honourable'


Update: Oops! Famous last words?