David Laws in Trouble..

David Laws is the Chief Secretary to the UK Treasury, and the Chancellor of the Exchequer's right hand man. He weilds a lot of political financial clout in our new coalition Tory/Lib Dem government, so he knows his way around the money of the country. He has now been found to have claimed £40,000 in expenses to house his 'long term male partner' of 10 years. His name didn't come up when the whole expenses scandal raised its ugly head in the months before the General Election, and he certainly didn't poke his head above the parapet to 'come clean'! Why?


Apparently, he, and others are debating the meaning of the word 'partner'. Yes, these top guys in our political elite, don't know what the word partner means! Amazing, isn't it? Maybe, just maybe they are looking for some way to get him off the hook, or am I being a tad cynical? There is the very obvious question of ethics and morality here too, and that's not even taking into account the fact that the money claimed was for his gay partner! There is the moral question of why did he try to hide the fact of his dubious expense claims over the past 9 years? The media report that he was only trying to 'protect his private life'.


Politicians don't have a 'private life' and everyone accepts that, especially within the political scene, so what does he mean? My own opinion is that he viewed his gay relationship as a stumbling block to his career, and so didn't want to expose it, if he could help it. Now he can't help it, and he has confessed and apologised, in the hope that it will all blow over quietly and quickly.

Who is kidding who here? These people took the electorate as fools before, and they are trying it again! The new PM, David Cameron, must be nervously waiting to see what the media will do about this, especially so soon into his leadership. I think the coalition is seeing its first big test. What to do? Let me help.... There is the moral question of pretending not to know what the word 'partner' means in the context of a relationship. Then there is the moral and ethical question of siphoning off £40,000 in expenses for his partner. Then, and most importantly in my opinion, there is the secrecy and hiding of the fact that he had a gay lover. I think this is key. If he was fully at peace with his gay lifestyle (he is not the first in the Commons) he would have been open and above board about it. Perhaps he was ashamed of it, and hence his reluctance to declare the expense because in doing so, he would have had to also declare his lifestyle.


Message to the new PM David Cameron. Don't sit on the fence in the hope that we will forget, and be taken for fools again. Sack David Laws and find another morally and ethically better one. That can't be too hard, can it?