It's time for individuals to tackle the MP expenses fiasco to restore faith in politics and politicians

It is all to easy for MPs and candidates to sit back and wait for independent reports on the future of MP expenses. The reality is this is just an excuse for some not to take personal responsibility and start acting in a way the public finds acceptable.

David Cameron has made it clear every Conservative MP will have to conform to a standard higher than that currently imposed by House of Commons authorities. I am happy to go along with this and to go further so that the people of East Renfrewshire can have faith that if they elect a Conservative MP the highest levels of probity will be adhered to in their name.

MY EXPENSES PLEDGE

1) I will publish online details of all my personal expenses incurred as a Member of Parliament

2) I will publish online details of all my office expenses incurred as a Member of Parliament

3) I will publish online details of all donations of more than £1,000, in line with Electoral Commission rules

4) I will appoint a local firm of auditors to approve expense accounts at the end of every financial year and publish their report in an Annual Report produced and distributed at no cost to the taxpayer

5) I will provide unedited copies of all expense claims to local newspapers at the end of every financial year

6) I will never claim for food

7) My first home will always be in East Renfrewshire where I live with my wife and baby boy

8) I will never claim for furniture or household goods

9) I will meet all tax liabilities - such as Stamp Duty - without claiming them from the taxpayer

This very simple nine point plan represents a new way of thinking at Westminster and would place East Renfrewshire at the forefront of the public's demand for change.

The UK Parliament is known around the world as the "mother of all parliaments" and we must restore public faith in our parliament at home if we are to be treated seriously abroad. So let's get on and effect change by having a General Election so that the public can pass judgement on a tired and directionless regime. The job of candidates is to ensure we give them a real choice as to what type of politics, and politician, they want to represent them in future.

Time to prosecute the guilty and restore faith in the political system!

It is very difficult to persuade people that, as a candidate, you are not actually a full time, well paid politician.

Over recent weeks, and in the eye of the storm that is the MP expenses furore, it has become increasingly difficult to get any message across to ordinary members of the public. Instead, (almost to a man, woman and child), everyone wants to vent their anger on the disgraceful action of MPs who have cheated the expenses system of taxpayers money.

As an ordinary member of the public and taxpayer - I agree!

To start the process of restoring faith in our political system I believe that all those who have made fraudulent claims on their expenses MUST be prosecuted without delay. It is simply not tenable for people who have claimed mortgage interest on expenses when they don't have any mortgage to pay interest on to claim they are within the rules and anything other than dishonest.

These people must be thoroughly investigated and, if the Daily Telegraph are right, charged with having committed fraud.

Such action is long overdue and should be just the start of action against those who felt able to make expense claims that were not "wholly, exclusively and necessarily" incurred in service of their constituents.

Simply paying back money or paying back capital gains tax is not good enough! If a member of the public is a day late in their personal tax return or pays up late they have surcharges, penalties and interest to pay HM Revenue & Customs - so why do these MPs think they should be treated any differently?

David Cameron has called for a General Election so that the public can decide the fate of those implicated in this saga and I am happy to support his "Sign For Change" initiative so that ordinary members of the public are able to register their desire to shape our democracy. Put simply, David gets it in a way that Gordon Brown is simply unable to fathom.

The rules the public have to abide by should be good enough for MPs or they are not honorable members. So let's see the guilty treated the same as everyone else for the sake of fair play and let's have a General Election so everyone can vote for change and a better UK democracy!

Labour learn an Expenses lesson!

That Gordon Brown and the Labour Party even tried to push through legislation that would have kept MP expenses secret from the taxpayer showed a scandalous disregard for the public’s right to scrutinise parliamentary expenses.

The taxpayer pays MPs expenses and they have every right to know whether their money is being spent properly. Labour also wasted vast amounts of taxpayer’s money in Court proceedings and in parliamentary time trying to hide from the public full details of the expenses claimed by MPs, which after all are financed by us.

With Britain forecast to suffer the worst recession of any major economy surely it is the role of government to do everything possible to ensure what money we do spend is spent wisely. Neither MPs nor HMRC would think it acceptable if other public servants or ordinary taxpayers did not have to account for their expenses so it is incredible Labour MPs thought they could get away with this.

In trying to legislate to avoid MPs being subject to common good financial practise Labour brought politics into further disrepute. Is it any wonder the electorate are disenchanted with politicians and feel they are all in it for the money when bad apples act in such a dishonourable way?

If All's Fair In War - Why Not Politics?

Through the course of this week Jack Straw announced proposals on funding of Party campaigns that reek of self interest and which are undoubtedly unfair!

Straw's plans for election funding would make it impossible for new candidates to compete in marginal seats

Having voted themselves a £10,000 per annum "communications allowance", (which in all probability will have been worth at least £40,000 to every Labour MP by the time of the next general election), our Labour government now proposes to deny candidates seeking to compete with incumbent MP's the right to privately fund their campaigns in advance of election time.

This change to campaign funding rules would mean incumbency becomes a massive advantage to this government with its outright majority - as they use public funds to advertise their case to constituents while denying opposition candidates the right to spend private funds to make their case for alternative policies. The current government can claim £3.51 million of public funding every year from the "communications allowance" they created and yet they now seek to deny candidates use of private funds whether they be of a lesser, similar or higher value than the amount spent from the public purse!

Of course, this is all a side show to detract from Labour's refusal to agree to a £50,000 cap on donations from any individuals, companies or Unions. David Cameron backs this proposal but Labour are refusing to go along with it because, with 92% of Labour's funds coming from Trade Unions, it would render the Labour Party bankrupt.

As a Westminster candidate fighting a government Minister in a Labour/Conservative marginal, I have not received any central funding to take on Mr Murphy, who sends unsolicited letters to constituents on a regular basis at our cost. I rely on good old-fashioned street canvassing, leaflet drops and support of local organisations to get my message out to the public and I will never misuse any expense allowance to distribute Party propaganda!

So, Mr Straw, if you are going to cap candidate campaign spending outwith election times then make it fair and let us spend the same as MP's before elections are called. I don't suppose you'll do this or cap the maximum donation amount!


Further analysis of this proposal can be found at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=A1YourView&xml=/opinion/2008/06/20/do2003.xml