Let’s be absolutely clear. A body responsible for passing laws which tells the rest of us how we should behave should be beyond reproach. A culture of sexism and boorish behaviour generally, often fuelled by too much alcohol, is at odds with this. That such an environment exists is beyond doubt, particularly when it is on show each week at Prime Minister’s Question Time.
The strange nature of a parliamentary career with unsociable hours, proximity to power, ruthless ambition combined with often humiliating disappointments, all lived in the public eye, is fertile ground for such a culture to flourish. But this is no excuse. It is vastly out of date. No wonder parliament is losing our respect with the consequence that not enough good people of both sexes are entering politics.
But the caveat must be that accusations need to be carefully verified. Some allegations are more serious than others and it is important individuals are not deemed guilty from the start. Witch hunts can have their own unfortunate consequences.
The solution to all this is to stop the abuse of power at source and clean up procedures so that unacceptable behaviours can be reported confidentially and without repercussions to an independent body in parliament. Business has been doing this for years. Amateur hour for politics is over. MPs need HR guidance and parties, of course, need their own governance to be enhanced. And ending subsidised alcohol in parliament wouldn’t go amiss either.
Theresa May started the luckiest of politicians and now must be the unluckiest. In tracking what may bring her government down, the first reason might have been a challenge to her leadership, the second was Brexit chaos and Labour’s more aggressive, astute opposition tactics. The third must now surely be these scandals. They have ensnared all parties equally but the impact is greater on the Conservatives as they are in power. More revelations are likely to lead to by-elections as politicians walk away from public humiliation and it will be this which will bring down a government already looking shaky.
Politics will be better off after the longer term repercussions of these scandals bear fruit. A new government operating under a reformed, healthier culture feels more imminent but it might not be a Conservative one.
Inside Right Politics 