The Great Stink And The Coming Storm

Peter Osborne in the Mail on the furore over MPs' expenses:

It is no exaggeration to say that this is a national disaster of the first order. Nor does this moral and financial corruption merely infect the Government. Voting out Gordon Brown's stinking New Labour administration would not make the faintest difference.

I recommend Osborne's book, The Triumph of the Political Class, for anyone truly concerned about British politics. It describes in trenchant (and depressing) detail what is wrong with our system.

We are at the beginning of a long and painful crisis in this country - not just economic, but political and social as well, and the real public anger over expenses is part of a growing resentment about the way we are governed. New Labour politicians have a great deal to answer for, but so do the other major parties and numerous other people involved in the processes of government. The EU is an integral part of that problem.

There is now a dangerous chasm between those in power and the people they govern, right across Europe. Politicians by and large seem oblivious. They don't seem to understand why we hate and despise them so much. The anger is building up. A few desperate policies here and a couple of cabinet changes there are not going to make any difference.

Interesting times ahead, folks.