Malik Doesn’t Get It

While I have to admit to a sneaking admiration for Shahid Malik’s sheer gall in coming out fighting following the exposé of his expenses claims, in so doing, he, like the others who have used the tired “I was only following orders” “it was in the rules” justification, simply does not appear to understand why we are so angry. In his defence, everyone got the blame (the big boys took more than me, sir, honest), in particular, the media for running the story – which is interesting, because we are pissed off because it has taken them so long to wake up to it and hold these people to account on our behalf.

So, Shahid, should you stumble upon this, I’ll make it clear; a reasonable man should be able to discern the difference between legitimate out-of-pocket business expenditure and personal luxury items. I can tell that, for example, a 40” plasma television is the latter, rather than the former. If you need a book of rules to explain it to you – even if that book happens to be morally wrong – then what the fuck were you doing in the ministry of justice?

While the decision to come out fighting shows some spunk, it also shows a remarkable lack of judgement. The reason the electorate are so contemptuous of MPs at the moment is because MPs have behaved in a contemptible manner and in coming out fighting, you display contempt for the electorate – your employers – to whom you are answerable. Your desire spoken on the BBC news today for the “bloodfest” to go away is pissing in the wind if you cannot, or will not, realise why it is an issue and that you were wrong; rules or no rules. We don’t care whether you followed the rules, we care that you and your colleagues took the taxpayer for a ride using a system that exempts you from the normal code of conduct that the rest of us are expected to abide by. Until you can get that into your skull, this will not go away and nor should it.