Lobbydog...

Monday 6 April 2009

EXPENSES: The 7 principles of public life

Harriet Harman told Lobbydog today he would have to wait for the Christopher Kelly review for any changes in the expenses system.

So I just thought I’d remind Sir Chris of his Standards in Public Life Committee's first report.

It sets out the seven principles of public life: Selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership.

Selflessness: Putting other people’s interests before your own. That means taxpayers too.

Integrity: Sticking to high moral principles. Not claiming on parliamentary allowances for watching Pleasure Island starring Long Dong Silver.

Objectivity: Means addressing the question in a fair way, not avoiding it.

Accountability: People taking responsibility for their actions, not implying that they were only following rules – as if they didn’t have a choice.

Openness: Not fighting a High Court battle to prevent the release of receipts claimed on expenses.

Honesty: More than just telling the truth when asked. It is about being open and forward in your truthfulness.

Leadership: Being brave enough to high-light publicly what everyone knows to be wrong and then make a strong decision to put it right. Doing so in a determined way, without relying on bureaucratic justification.

2 comments:

Catosays said...

Sorry, Sir Chris is busy sorting out his expenses too or he would have replied.

Anonymous said...

Brown has had so many chances to change things. The Kelly review is a fig leaf for his shame, and not a very big one at that.

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