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| Andrew Tyrie MP |
In light of the publication of the final report from the Chairman of the Parliamentary Commission on Banking Standards by Andrew Tyrie
MP, here is the final report of the Guerrilla Democracy blog on Political
Standards.
JAIL RECKLESS POLITICIANS,
GUERRILLA DEMOCRACY URGES
The Guerrilla
Democracy commission is highly critical of aspects of the political industry
Senior politicians guilty of reckless misconduct should be
jailed, a long-awaited report on politics commissioned by Guerrilla Democracy
has recommended.
The Guerrilla Democracy Commission on Political Standards
was set up by Matt Taylor, freelance investigative blogger, last year after a number of scandals involving the
industry.
The Guerrilla Democracy report attacks the lack of
accountability of politicians and also said they should be accountable for
their decisions while in office for up to 10 years.
The 571-page report also called on the government to
review alternatives for austerity measures, including breaking it up, and
demanded action to make the political market more competitive.
CRIMINAL LIABILITY
"Too many politicians, especially at the most senior
levels, have operated in an environment above the law and with insufficient personal
responsibility," the report says.
When will politics
ever change?
"Senior politicians and civil servants are aware that
they would not be punished for what they could not see and promptly donned the
blindfolds."
"Where they could not claim ignorance, they fell back
on the claim that everyone was party to a decision, so that no individual could
be held squarely to blame - the Murder on the Orient Express defence."
- Senior politicians should be assigned clear personal responsibilities, with the legal onus on them to show they have done all that is reasonably required in the interests of their constituents
- Recklessly disregarding these responsibilities should be made a criminal offence - including a possible prison sentence
- Senior politicians - and anyone in a position to cause the country serious harm, such as top ministers - should adhere to a new set of political standards set by regulators
- Pay & perks for politicians should be deferred for up to 10 years, with the ultimate payout linked to the long-term performance of the MP
- Deferred pay and pension rights should also be cancelable if a politician misbehaves, or - in the case of senior ministers - if their decisions cost lives
- Politicians should be legally required to put the interests of their constituents ahead of political party interests
Guerrilla Democracy "This report sets out the blueprint
for the future of British politics"
Consumer watchdog Witch? welcomed the proposals, saying it
could herald "the big change in politics that voters have been crying out
for".
But the group said more needed to be done to address
continuing political rumours, and called for an independent investigation into
alleged parliamentary paedophile rings.
The committee also criticized the Masonic-dominated culture in
parliament, saying politicians should be required to publish whether they are
Masons and take action where there is a significant conflict of interest.
'Special measures'
The Guerrilla Democracy committee also criticized the
failure of politicians to spot the risks building up to the Jimmy Savile
scandal of 2012, demanding "an independent commission into paedophile
activities of politicians, civil servants and other connected parties".
Senior politicians should be personally accountable,
ultimately to the People, for their oversight of criminal bankers, paedophiles
in parliament and abuse of parliamentary privileges.
The report recommended that each ministry should be required
to institute procedures to protect whistle-blowers - employees who want to flag
up misconduct to the regulators.
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