Holding MPs to Account
Less than 200 people may have decided who will become the next MP in East Lothian
Because by 130 to 59 votes the local Labour party finally decided to ditch Anne Moffat as their candidate - after years of controversy and party in-fighting.
So, if the new person goes on to win the East Lothian seat - just 189 people will have set the whole process in motion - for good or ill.
Yes, but the wider electorate still has to have their say - I hear you say - that provides an important democratic safeguard, does it not?
Yes, up to a point - but what the Anne Moffat debacle highlights is just how difficult it is to hold our MPs to account - once they have been elected into office.
In reality, there's no effective mechanism for getting rid of the buggers - if you find out they're no good - or that they've been up to no good.
What happens is that they hide behind their original election victory - pretending to have a mandate from the voting public.
Since the last general election, voters in East Lothian have learned a lot about Anne Moffat - which they didn't know when they elected her as their MP - for example, her ability to run up monumental expenses claims.
Yet, there was no effective way of holding her to account - and it's taken a huge effort by her own party to finally show her the door.
What's needed is a right of recall for MPs - the ability of the voting public to trigger a by-election in the event of some scandal or bad behaviour by their honourable member.
Now that would keep the next intake of MPs on their toes.
Because by 130 to 59 votes the local Labour party finally decided to ditch Anne Moffat as their candidate - after years of controversy and party in-fighting.
So, if the new person goes on to win the East Lothian seat - just 189 people will have set the whole process in motion - for good or ill.
Yes, but the wider electorate still has to have their say - I hear you say - that provides an important democratic safeguard, does it not?
Yes, up to a point - but what the Anne Moffat debacle highlights is just how difficult it is to hold our MPs to account - once they have been elected into office.
In reality, there's no effective mechanism for getting rid of the buggers - if you find out they're no good - or that they've been up to no good.
What happens is that they hide behind their original election victory - pretending to have a mandate from the voting public.
Since the last general election, voters in East Lothian have learned a lot about Anne Moffat - which they didn't know when they elected her as their MP - for example, her ability to run up monumental expenses claims.
Yet, there was no effective way of holding her to account - and it's taken a huge effort by her own party to finally show her the door.
What's needed is a right of recall for MPs - the ability of the voting public to trigger a by-election in the event of some scandal or bad behaviour by their honourable member.
Now that would keep the next intake of MPs on their toes.
