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Conduct Unbecoming to an Officer and Gentleman

A picture for Downton Papalscope

Possibly those who attempt to live virtuously, are necessarily less successful in life, than any who have a devil may care attitude? Was such a thought the inspiration for Catherine Tate’s ‘’Am I bovvered? ’’ Possible those who aren’t bothered, regard as naïve, others whom conscience has made cowards of.

This business of Parliamentary expenses is nothing short of disgraceful. Much of the expenditure claimed, being within ‘The Rules’ is legitimately refundable, but one may ask, is all such expenditure within the spirit of the law? Where the self respect of the claimant, where his or her sense of honour. One doesn’t have to be a Member of Parliament to work away from home, is it now customary in the workforce to claim the price of a cup of tea if one misses out on the passage of the Office Tea Trolley, off which ones biscuit was never free? Why are we expected to pay £7000 to re-roof a man’s house, or if reports are correct pay £44,000 to the Tory Party, in lieu of a member’s ‘Office Expenses’. Would a rose by any other name smell as sweet? Incidentally we too needed to buy a new oven this year, and managed it on £260.

What of all this excused Council Tax? Seemingly if one is a member of Parliament, that comes free at one of ones places of alleged residence. Our Tisbury cottage attracts over two thousand pounds of such taxation every year, and is due whether one can afford the expense or not. Is there a shortage of applicants wishing to become Members of Parliament, that there is now a call to pay them more salary, on top of extravagant allowances? One may wonder what sort of a Salary some Honourable Members might attract in the job market. I suspect in most cases, relatively little, always assuming he or she can find employment.

Why have so many Members of Parliament? Few were ever worth their salt. One is given to understand that Parliament’s Authority is now outsourced to Europe. In 1831 Tisbury’s adjoined then Borough Hindon returned two members to Parliament, as did Old Sarum, Downton, Heytesbury and Ludgershall, which seats were abolished in 1832; whilst Wilton and Westbury were reduced to one member a piece. There is nothing new about Parliamentary pruning, now is time enough to have another go.

It is too, time to make alternative arrangements for the other place. There in, the Hereditary principle is an anachronism. Maybe there was a time when everyone loved a Lord , or at least his good fortune, but the title ‘Lord’ now has vestigial connotations inappropriate to our twenty first century Society. God bless them every one, but fortunately the World has moved on.

contact : John B. Pope
Email : pionon@tiscali.co.uk