Politics of Distraction

Magicians often pull off their cleverest tricks through distraction - and politicians are no different.

As tricks go - the latest one is a blinder. As more and more MPs are exposed for their lavishness at the taxpayers expense what are the prime movers of the main parties talking about?

Constitutional Reform!

What does having fixed term parliaments or proportional representation have to do with excessive or fraudulent claims on the taxpayer? How has continental PR helped clear up the scandal of MEPs allowances?

Another distraction has been the party leaders trying to out-do each other than being tough on errant MPs.

David Cameron has now said that some MPs should 'feel the full weight of the law' regarding their claims for fictitious mortgage interest. But isn't this stating the obvious - could this not have been said weeks ago? - could this have not been acted on by now? Isn't this just posturing to look 'tough' to show that he has 'got a grip' on the story.

This is merely sleight of hand to distract people from asking why their MPs have not been deselected immediately, booted out, and a by-election called. That is to say, if a politician has admitted he has done the wrong thing, and agreed to stand down - why wait?

Hague's answer on a recent Question Time was that if their call for an immediate election was honoured then these MPs would effectively be gone within a month. But everyone knows that an immediate election is highly unlikely. It requires Johnson to make a move on the leadership, and although there are tentative signs this is happening, he will be outmanoeuvred by Brown, no matter how much the prime minister is embattled.

The result is that we have politicians who have made incorrect claims on the public purse who will remain in office for another year to leech more in salary and expense claims.

The distraction is need to conceal the fundamental weakness in Cameron's grip on constituency parties who are notoriously independent and sometimes unforgiveably out of touch.

It is not necessarily easy, but he should be exerting more pressure on these constituency parties to hold expense enquiries in the open, in the full glare of media publicity and public disapprobation. Although Gove and Mackay had their enquiries conducted in such a way - Hogg, as an example, did not. He also then needs to speak directly with these constituency groups, face to face, and explain to them the need to consider deselection of their MP if the claims cannot be justified and the public mood is clearly against them continuing.

The distraction may well pay off - but it leaves a bitterness in my mouth. When Cameron made his bid for the leadership he said that he wanted to make people feel good about voting Conservative again.

For a little time I did... but I can feel very little joy about voting Tory next week.