Do you find it astonishing that an MP who fiddles his expenses (basically steals from the taxpayer) does not lose his job as MP (or cannot be forced to) unless he is sentenced to more than a year’s prison? Making the sentence determine whether you lose your job rather than the crime is surely a novel approach? Stealing when you are in a position of trust is stealing – whether it is £100 or £1million. The point is surely that the trust so essential in his role or in an employment role is destroyed because there has been dishonesty. Can you trust someone who has stolen from you again? Would you trust your cleaner who takes £1 which you have left lying around?
Employers have always taken a very serious view of any theft by staff however small. Small can lead to larger. Summary dismissal is usual. Why should the taxpayer (who employs the MP's – something we often forget) view it differently. Should MPs automatically lose their position if convicted of a serious crime such as theft, dishonesty, lying?
More about the author of this article, Bettina Brueggemann
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