We need a return to honest politics

As I’m sure most of you will be aware from the news headlines of the last several days, yet another political scandal regarding money is on the horizon. With a member of the House of Commons resigning from his party, and two members of the unelected House of Lords now suspended by their respective parties, the scandal is beginning to hit fever-pitch. Despite the evidence recorded as part of a sting operation by both the Daily Telegraph and BBC Panorama, the members of the second chamber are claiming innocence in the investigations and will fight to clear their name of any wrongdoing. In my second piece for The Targe I will analyse not only this current scandal, but more importantly the wider implications it will have on the political culture and political engagement of many throughout Britain.

As someone who resides in the Easterhouse area of Glasgow, my political awareness and activity is considered a rarity. My area has one of the lowest voting turnouts in Britain and a fierce reputation as one of the worst places to live in Scotland, so when it comes to reasons for people not engaging in the political system, it’s fair to say I’ve heard them all. However, the main reason I hear is that politicians now are “all the same” and “only in it for their own financial benefit” – something I, of course, dismiss as an unfair assumption, reiterating that there are many committed MPs, MSPs and local councillors out there who are in politics for the reasons we all should be: to serve the people in our community.

However, with each scandal that emerges, it becomes increasingly hard to do so, as the public becomes more and more disenfranchised. This week’s scandal, regarding payments of significant cash taken in exchange for asking certain questions and lobby for particular issues is just one in a long line of incidents involving elected representatives and money. As much as people may be disenfranchised and disillusioned with the political bubble, one thing’s for sure: they will be both aware and very angry about a scandal like this. The MPs’ expenses debacle was supposed to be the turning point in the political set up that resulted in the end of a culture of greed, and the coalition agreed to sort out the problem regarding lobbying – a promise that, like many others, wasn’t worth the paper it was written on.

For the outsider looking in, the Westminster political system is one you should avoid at all costs. The outsider looking in who is being hit by the disgusting bedroom tax. The outsider who can’t afford to both heat their homes and eat. They watch on as our elected representatives, the people to whom we’re supposed to turn to solve these problems, are sitting back and allowing this to happen, whilst proposing a pay rise for themselves and using our tax money to pay for their dinners and transport. You don’t really have to look much further to discover the cause of the low voting turnouts across the country. And will the British political elite change their ways? Sadly, no.

The people need to awaken from this reality TV-induced state and begin to stand up for their values and their livelihoods. For too long now, the political elite have become more and more out of touch with the lives and needs of ordinary people up and down the country, with no reprisal from those most deeply affected, as they turn their backs on the political system altogether. As an activist in my local community, I repeatedly try to get people informed and interested in the political system, something I am sure many others also do. Our efforts, though, will always be in vain when those at the top continue to abuse their position at the expense of the many. We are in great danger of creating a non-politicised generation, something which can only lead to severe damage for our future society as a whole in the future. We need a return to honest politics, whereby the representatives are exactly that: representative of the people that they are there to serve.