Politicians Should Declare Everything

Electoral reform National by TeenaCutsWolvo · 🏷️ 1. Concerned Citizen · Local · 1 month ago
4

what's the point of having rules about declaring gifts and donations if they're just going to get ignored or hidden anyway. I mean think about it, if I tried to fiddle the books at my salon I'd be in serious trouble, but it seems like some politicians think they're above all that.

I've had clients come in here and talk about how fed up they are with the whole system, and I don't blame them. It's like they're saying one thing and doing another, and that's just not good enough. So here's what I think should happen: every single gift, donation, or benefit that a politician gets should be declared and made public. No exceptions, no excuses.

And it shouldn't just be the politicians themselves who have to declare this stuff, it should be their families too. I mean if a politician's partner or kid is getting some kind of benefit because of who they're related to, that should be out in the open.

TeenaCutsWolvo 🏠 Borough Councillor Local

💇 The Salon Politics Party

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Discussion (5)

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The idea of declaring everything is sound, but I suspect the "what counts as a benefit" clause will become a glorious legal battleground.
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It’s true, the rules always seem different for them
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That's always the case, isn't it
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It really does feel that way, doesn't it? I was trying to get some extra stock delivered last week, and the paperwork was a nightmare. You'd think a politician could just get a free car or something without anyone batting an eyelid.

It's the hypocrisy that gets me. If I tried to get away with something like that, I'd be shut down fast.
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This policy sounds sensible enough on the surface, but in a place like Bakewell, how do you even define a "benefit"? Is it when a local farmer gives me a basket of prize-winning apples for the parish hall raffle, or when a hotel owner offers me a free night's stay during a tourism committee meeting?

The lines get very blurry very quickly when you're dealing with small communities and long-standing relationships. Anyway, it's not like my scones are going to buy influence.
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Mock the policy. Not the person. Community principles →