Vacation Suggestions for British Politicians

There is little respect for politicians, in any country, at any time, but in the United Kingdom, it is at an all time low. In 2010, a scandal rocked the mother of Parliaments to its core. Some Members of Parliament (M.P.s) abused their lax expenses system, and, at a time when the British people were struggling under the weight of the recession and paying extortionate amounts for utilities and fuel, a third of their politicians were claiming taxpayers’ money for fripperies. Some politicians to such a flagrant degree that several were convicted of fraud related charges. Thus, their vacation destinations should reflect their culpability.

Some of the guilty will have little choice about where to spend their vacation. They will spend it at Her Majesty’s pleasure. There are prisons on the Isle of Wight, Portland and Dartmoor, and they might be lucky enough to get to one of them. The bracing air might cause them to reflect on their own actions and realize that they stole the people’s money; money better spent benefitting the needy, rather than the greedy.

For those British politicians, who escaped prosecution, because their dishonesty did not amount to the requirements for a criminal charge, a different vacation destination is necessary. They should spend their vacations doing special politician’s community service amongst those communities in the British Isles, where hard working low paid families struggle to keep their heads above water and pay their bills. Places where nobody has ever heard of an expense allowance. These politicians paid back the money that they had milked from a very lax system, seven politicians paid back over 200,000 pounds each. They blamed the system for being lax, rather than their own dishonesty. One politician claimed for servants. A vacation doing community service amongst honest hard working people might teach them a little honesty, and help them to realize how people manage without swimming pools, tennis courts, servants, and expense accounts, and yet still stay honest. These greedy politicians should wear green and yellow striped tunics, whilst doing their community service, as these are the colours of greed. Many British towns could be suitable for such a vacation; some of the huge Council estates in the North of England, or the little towns and villages in Cornwall, anywhere away from the more affluent areas in those areas where there is great poverty.

Some British politicians have no conception of how ordinary people live or they would not say the stupid things that they do. They went to Eton and other such schools, move in privileged circles and do not even know any ordinary people. An educational vacation would suit them admirably. They should go to some of the poorest communities in Britain, those that their policies devastated in the nineteen eighties and where their policies will again strike hard, as the cuts bite. In destinations such as Hull, Bradford, Sheffield, Glasgow, Tyneside, and others, they could lodge in ordinary households and discover, first hand, what poverty actually means. They could help pensioners decide whether to eat or heat their homes. This might teach them to be less sympathetic to their greedy friends the bankers and more to those, who are suffering because of bankers' reckless actions.

There are many hard working and honest British politicians, some did not even claim for items for which no one would object to them claiming expenses. These politicians work hard for their constituents, representing their interests properly in the Commons, or speaking up for ordinary people in the Lords. They scrutinize legislation with ordinary people in mind, understanding how proposed legislation may affect the little man and throwing it out, where necessary. These politicians work long, hard, hours for the people and deserve their vacation. They should spend it wherever makes them happy and relaxed. Whether they want to vacation in Bali, Tahiti, along the Mediterranean, or in British resorts. They should enjoy their well-deserved rest and relaxation, for they carry the torch for democracy. Honesty and hard work have their own reward.