hang 'em high

I caught a brief part of Question Time on BBC1 last night and it was very disturbing. No surprise that the focus of the questions was about MPs' expenses and there was real anger and resentment on the airwaves. The two unfortunate MPs in the stocks for the few minutes I watched were Ming Campbell and Margaret Becket both of whom I have always considered to be parliamentarians of the highest calibre. What was so unsettling was the audience doing a good impression of an angry mob as they harried and heckled the speakers before they had the opportunity to give their answers and explanations. The audience was egged on by David Dimbleby in what I considered to be one of his poorest performances. I had this image in my mind of a scene from an old cowboy film in which the good townsfolk, outraged at some perceived crime, storm the sheriff's office and drag the suspected criminal out to be strung up without a trial. In the end I turned the T.V. off because it was so unpleasant.

There is no doubt that something rotten has been going on in parliament and the speed with which MPs have been whipping out their cheque books to repay some of their expenses is clear evidence of that. The problems range from the sort of stupid oversight that all of us can be guilty of, through to acts of what appear to be fraud and deception. The Daily Telegraph, which published the scoop, is squeezing every last ounce of juice from the story as it seeks to turn what looks like being a considerable outlay on purchasing the information into profit and raised circulation figures.

However, it is also clear that many innocent MPs are being caught up in the maelstrom that has descended on Westminster. Over the coming months they may be able to demonstrate how their expenses were legitimately and reasonably claimed but at the moment no-one or at least very few people seem to be listening. MPs have not had the opportunity to present all the facts of their individual cases, nor to challenge details that have been inaccurately or wrongly reported. The public, led by the press and increasingly hysterical broadcasters, are baying for blood. Don’t get me wrong, I am really angry about some of what seems to have gone on and can understand how others are feeling, but when I’m angry I know I need to be very careful.

The whole sorry saga reminds me of the incident recorded in John’s Gospel 8:1-11 where a group of the ‘righteous’ bring a woman caught in adultery before Jesus and demand that he pass judgement on her. The response of Jesus is very telling; he bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. The evangelist doesn’t record what Jesus wrote although many have speculated; only that he didn’t immediately respond with a pronouncement. Rowan Williams in Writing in the Dust, a short reflection following the September 11th terrorist attacks in the United States, suggests that Jesus is creating a pause, a breathing space, to consider and reflect rather than to immediately respond in a way that will exacerbate the situation.

I can’t help feeling that what we need now in the present crisis over MPs' expenses is a period of calm reflection. Time to allow the full facts to be gathered, not leaked out drip by drip in a way that can neither be checked nor challenged. Time to develop an appropriate means of examining and holding to account those who have done wrong and exonerating those who have done nothing wrong. Time to reflect on what we really expect from those who serve in public office. Time to ask what we are prepared to pay our politicians to ensure we encourage those best equipped to govern. Time to reflect on the wider damage being caused to the body politic and society in general. Time to consider the culture of cynicism that now pervades the way the media handles politics and the motives behind that cynicism. Time to think about the impact on politics in the future as polls already indicate a turn towards the smaller and in some cases extreme political parties.

Perhaps the best response we can make to the scandal over MPs' expenses is to follow the example of Jesus and take time out to write in the dust.