by Elisabeth Knapp

Created on: June 08, 2009   Last Updated: June 10, 2009

Never before has the UK been so rocked by a political scandal. Not since the days of Oliver Cromwell in the 17th Century, has their been so little confidence in parliament. The British public have always been cynical and distrustful when it comes to politicians, but with the allegations regarding MPs expenses, it all seems a step too far -a truth too much for the honest, hardworking voter to stomach.

After the revelations emerged - initially in The Daily Telegraph newspaper - about MPs expense claims, it left a pitiful few members of the Common's reputations untarnished. It has affected all parties, at every level of government. The national press has given it blanket coverage on an unprecedented scale, leaving the British public spitting with anger as the shocking extent of the betrayal by our politicians has emerged. To make matters worse, many MPs initially denied any claims of wrong doing fuelling further an already raging fire. At a time of financial misery for many, it seems that our patience with money-grabbing MPs has finally run out.

These events inevitably beg the queston - can British politics ever recover? Can the precious little trust that the general public had for it's supposed representatives ever be restored? The events of the past few weeks have not been without their casualties, and the effect that this scandal has had is clear to see - politicians resigning their posts in droves, guilty parties making grovelling apologies to the taxpaying population and many MPs being forced to give back money acquired from ridiculous, frivolous claims. The biggest casualty of all surely being the Labour Party - particularly Gordon Brown, with calls for the Prime Minister to resign and a general election to be called.

This creates a further issue - if a general election were to be called, who would we all vote for? With the expenses scandal shaming all of the major political parties, who will the British public trust now? Are there any politicians with integerity? The British public clearly deserves more from their elected representatives, and needs reassurance that such an appalling breach of trust will never, ever happen again. The time has come for MPs to realise that they are here to serve the people who voted for them. To work for the public and not to stab them in the back. Hopefully all is not lost - perhaps these events will now encourage honourable people to enter politics, those who care about the future of this country, not just their bank balances.

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