Nadine on Nadine

Read Nadine's blog and maybe have a think what is going on here now. I know I am thinking there is more to the story than just exposing bad MP's, there is now too much in the way of a holier than thou attutude. We know there are a few fraudulent expenses, we know there are some MP'S who have lost a sense of morality and common sense, but there are also a good number just trying to do a good job and for this they should be paid a good salary. I quote

I believe it is right of the DT to bring this issue out into the open. I praise their exposure of fraud and mis-appropriation.

However, it is wrong to conflate the deadly serious with the mildly embarrassing and genuine administrative errors. By doing that you deem the truly innocent, wholly guilty, make it impossible for the public to understand where to direct their anger, create an atmosphere of chaos and insecurity, which in turn, threatens democracy itself.

Does the DT have an agenda other than the desire to perform a public service?

Why would they expose this fiasco at the start of an election campaign if the priority was not to de stabilise the main political parties and to drive votes towards the minority parties?

I cleave to my original substantive point. If it's in the name of the public good, do it all in one day. Get it all out there. One big explosive edition. Let the guilty be found, the mistakes be rectified and the innocent go about their lives free from the potential impending ducking stool.

Is there not something slightly hypocritical about the DT increasing its revenue by an estimated £1 million per day in the name of public good?

Whilst democracy teeters on the brink of collapse, the DT is laughing all the way to the bank.

On day 15 the boil needed to be lanced. Two weeks away from elections it was time to turn the discussion to how we put things right.

Public anger was at such a level that the situation needed to be taken by the neck, dealt with and a solution to guarantee that democracy is never again threatened in this way, put on the table.

You would never allow a business to freefall in the way we were allowing the mother of all Parliaments to spin out of control.

My colleagues, my innocent colleagues, were literally being made physically ill by the bullying process deployed by the DT, as part of the drip, profit, drip, profit technique. It had to stop.

If I had to use one word to describe any personal quality I possess, it is loyalty.

I would never betray a friend and I always instinctively, fiercely, protect those I care for. Seeing the innocent amongst my colleagues, from all political parties, on all sides of the house, suffer in this way and threading together what I saw with what I have explained above, made me realise that we were in danger of being a long way from putting things right if the anger wasn't soon lanced.

I had no idea that the few words on my blog, written from a perspective of concern and care, would result in another 24 hrs of frenetic media or be quoted as the second item on the Today programme. I had only stated what was blindingly obvious to anyone and everyone who had been in Westminster that week.

It continues

Whilst waiting for my fate to unfold in Saturday's papers I was aware that if I had called the time wrong, I may be toast with my own association. I also reflected on the disproportionate, inappropriate action of the DT. The profile on UKIP's Nigel Farage in the following days paper did not surprise me in the least.

and the last bit

The phone rang an hour ago. An upset female MP, wrongly targeted by the DT. Her husband's company had received hate emails. The press were camped outside her house in a pack. Her very young son, unknowingly holding telephone conversations with journalists, even though he had told them mummy wasn't in. Her life and her family in bits, and in her case the DT have got it completely wrong. Decent people do not like to see the innocent victimised. I suspect this wont stop until June 5th, the day following the election. By which time much more harm than good may have been done.

I knew on friday morning that I had walked into the eye of a storm. I also knew that in voicing concern for all but the immoral fraudsters and the totally ridiculous, I would become a conduit for the anger which had yet to be earthed.

It was a mere rehearsal. If party leaders do not resolve this issue then backbenchers will need to pick up the gauntlet and find ways and means to bring about legislation which will.

Never again must democracy be threatened or the innocent be victimised whilst two of the richest men in the world, sit back and become even richer.

I finish on my initial point. If the Telegraph are doing this not for the advantage of minority parties, not to destabilise democracy, not to make themselves even wealthier, then handle it better. Leave the innocent alone and publish the guilty all on one day. Because if democracy is damaged as a result of the increased wealth of two men as a result of a minority of fraudsters and crooks, we will all in the long term be much worse off than we are today.

A Conspiracy? Bad Timing? Good Journalism, Bad Journalism? What is the answer. I know one thing the Daily Telegraph is not just doing this for it's own good.

Why I did What I did