The danger of a weak body of MPs

I started to get a shiver up my spine as I watched Harriet Harman, leader of the house of commons speak to Andrew Marr about the new Independent Expenses Watchdog. She kept saying that this and that would be a matter for the watchdog not the commons, that she hoped they would be fair and balanced but it was a mater for them.

I started to think -  hang on a minute -  take a step back, this is a democracy, and I vote for an MP to represent me, to make the laws of the land. Parliament is supposed to be sovereign, who the **** is this ‘independent watchdog’ accountable to if my MP isn’t even allowed a vote on its proposals? I happen to think that MPs are underpaid and that its a bad thing for our democracy, now who do i vote for to make that happen?  is the watchdog going to canvas my vote?

I’m quite aware that MPs have lost all credibility due to the expenses scandal but that’s no excuse for giving in to every whim and abuse from the public/media. Democracy is too important for that (sidebar: the only way to have purged the problem would have been for The Queen to have immediately dissolved parliament when it became obvious that trust had been lost. But that too would have been undemocratic, because who elected her!).

Politicians are in a difficult position of needing to represent as well as to lead, but I’m starting to see how dangerous it is to have a morally discredited parliament because it means it’s hesitant to tell us what we don’t want to hear, its constantly apologizing and grovelling to us, as opposed to leading us. Which is something along the lines of … if we don’t want it to just be a job for rich people, and we want to encourage more woman and family providers then its perfectly reasonable for them to have a Westminster home paid for by the taxpayer, and to have a salary in line with their responsibilities – perhaps equivalent to senior lawyer or doctor.  Above all, they most decide these things for themselves, not outsource decision making to an unelected body because they think a pay rise will lose them votes!