‘Couch-potato peers’ who undermine public’s trust

THIS WON’T make me popular (again). I believe most MPs, irrespective of their party affiliation, are worth every penny – and the expenses they claim. The majority aren’t in it for the money.

They are conscientious people who go to extraordinary lengths to serve their community after being brave enough to stand for election.

They certainly don’t deserve the indefensible venom meted out by some of their more hate-filled constituents, as outlined by Dewsbury MP Paula Sherriff earlier this week.

It’s the same with the House of Lords. Despite its many imperfections, most peers are motivated by the greater good and a desire to use their influence to influence policy for the better.

Yet, once again, the diligence of the majority is undermined by the greed, arrogance and hubris of a small minority who do not honour the high standards that the country should expect of such privileged people.

I refer to the revelation that 115 peers – one in seven – did not contribute in a debate during the 2016/17 Parliamentary session, despite claiming an average of £11,091.06 each in expenses and allowances, according to newly-released research.

Though some will, of course, have taken part in important work on committees, it points to a worrying number of couch-potato peers and lobbyfodder Lords.

Leaving aside the fact that this Government, like its predecessors, doesn’t have the stomach – or support – to reform the Lords significantly, the argument being that an elected UNLIKE SO many of the non-jobs recently advertised by the jobsworths at West Yorkshire Combined Authority, I understand why they might need a regulatory lawyer whose salaries will cost taxpayers up to £44,512 a year.

However I deplore this public’s body corporate gobbledegook as it takes control of decisions pertaining to transport and skills. “Typically work on horizons of one year, in line with the objectives set in the business plan,” candidates are advised.

And why are such bodies still recruiting staff willy-nilly when every effort is being made to secure a Yorkshire-wide devolution deal that, potentially, will see an elected mayor – and single body – take charge of this region’s future destiny?

Given how taxpayers in these parts desire more effective governance, rather than additional (and costly) tiers of bureaucracy, I challenge those behind the One Yorkshire blueprint to demonstrate – clearly – how they intend to streamline leadership and how much money can be saved if there’s a cull of those highly-paid officials whose sole purpose appears to be to get in the way of progress.

GIVEN THAT the Brexit-bashing BBC struggled to muster any enthusiasm for the party conference of the pro-EU Lib Dems, why on earth is Parliament suspended for these annual gatherings / booze-ups (delete as appropriate)?

Just think what MPs could have debated in the past week – Theresa May’s Brexit speech, the ethnic cleansing in Burma (when Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson isn’t being so self-indulgent), how to stop the radicalisation of young Muslim terrorists, and a shortage of ambulances.

And, for the record, I remain of the view that the forthcoming Labour and Tory gatherings are no excuse for Parliament not to sit.

AT LEAST the world did not end when Boris Johnson shook hands with President Donald Trump at this week’s United Nations meeting in New York. For now.

NOW THAT Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary has faced a week of humiliation after the poaching of his pilots by a rival airline led to the cancellation of flights for six weeks, perhaps he knows how his trainers feel when he moves his racehorses to rival stables on a whim.

I’d like to think he’s learned some humility, but I suppose the absence of this trait explains why he’s made so much money out of budget airlines.

LEFT FOR dead nearly a year ago after a sickening fall left him in a coma with a collapsed lung, nine fractured ribs and other injuries, my good friend Henry Brooke – the Middleham jump jockey who was back in the saddle within two months and is now in full health – notes: “If there’s one thing I don’t ever want to be remembered for, it’s having a fall and then coming back.”

How humbling. If everyone else was as spirited, Britain would be a much more positive place. For when – not if – he wins a big race, his horsemanship will mean

fall will be just a footnote.