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A Tory Party poll was conducted to ask whether given the likely economic circumstances, Cameron’s Team should with regard to policy go for: (a), Maximum openness – 33% (b). Medium Openness – 35% or, Minimum Openness – 29%.

The closeness of the result indicates the problem that all the political parties currently face as evidenced by the polls which may well be totally inaccurate and even, deliberately misleading. That the public are “angry” with their politicians must be totally obvious to anybody sitting inside the Palace of Westminster in possession of even half a functioning brain but few or none have yet to grasp a solution…

You Have Let Us Down…But the Polls are odd !

Is the slogan that lies at the heart of matter. Logically as Labour and specifically Gordon Brown first as Chancellor and then as Prime Minister have effectively wrecked the UK economy and public finances through total incompetence, their poll ratings should be way below the 30% they consistently achieve and the Tories way higher than their 40-42%.

However, the polls are completely suspect and it would not surprise me to find out that a large percentage of the people polled, deliberately lie to the pollsters.

For example, Vince Cable and the Libdems are making all kinds of ‘noises’ about what they would do if they were the Government which is fine because they know they will never actually become the Government so they can talk tough, promise ice creams all round because they will never have to deliver.

In fact a more interesting question is just why the Libdems aren’t doing better in the polls than their average 16-18% and that 2% variation goes to or comes from the Tory share of the poll not Labour. If they can’t take significant percentages off Labour now under these circumstances, the question must be whether they will ever become the “Second largest” parliamentary party and therefore a “Government in Waiting ?”

The Truth Is…

The electorate is undecided and no one politician has totally connected with them yet. Whilst there is little to no chance of Labour forming a Government for 10-15 years at the earliest, a Hung Parliament with the Tories as the largest single party, is a possibility plus the fact that the electorate takes a very jaundiced view of all politicians currently.

Coming back to the internal Tory Poll on the degree of openness that the Shadow Cabinet should display on their potential policies should they become elected, it is an irrelevancy. The electorate are not stupid and know full well that an incoming Government will have to “inflict pain” to dig us out of the mess. All they really want to know is that it will be evenly spread and not be directed ‘tribally’ in the way Labour has done.

MPs Allowances

The one big thing that has soured the public’s view of politicians is the constant drip of information on how MPs of all parties have dealt with their expenses and allowances and Eric Pickles fared no better on Question Time than any Labour Minister would have done and looking like someone who had one or two fish suppers too many, didn’t help much either.

The John Major Government was destroyed by sleaze but that was directed at the Conservative Government solely, this isn’t, it is directed at all politicians and regardless of political party.

Such Challenges are Golden Opportunities

Even the public know that being Leader of the Opposition is not much fun because whilst you can say what you like, in reality you are powerless and can’t get anything serious done. However, forget jam tomorrow David Cameron can do something important now as a ‘down payment’ of good will and good intent by showing leadership on reforming MP’s overall income package.

Although he doesn’t have to get it through this Parliament he could get the whole of the Tory Parliamentary Party to agree outline reforms to MPs pay and expenses now that will come into force in the next Parliament under a Conservative Government. He and his Cabinet need to concentrate on what MPs actually cost the taxpayer and lay that out publicly rather than allow the concentration on say the Additional Allowances and the John Lewis List. From there, the accurate gross cost to the taxpayer they propose the ‘changes’.

MPs Must be Seen to Sacrifice

It will involve the abolition of most if not all allowances and the current pension scheme being replaced with a money purchase one so that politicians are no longer a charge upon taxpayers once they ‘retire or are retired’ by the electorate. There will need to be a substantial increase in salary or as I have suggested before, converting to a gross payment that the MPs have to justify the expenses incurred to the Inland Revenue.

As we are now massively over represented at the National levels, there has to be a firm commitment to a cull of the number of sitting MPs in the next Parliament so to 500 so at the following election, there will only be 500 constituencies. Parliament needs to show some leadership in reining in the size of the Public Sector.

This needs to be done now and regardless of whether the rest of the House agrees or not. An influx of new Tory MPs should be committed to such promises the moment they cross the threshold of Westminster. This would demonstrate to the electorate a Tory Government in Waiting that will share whatever pain with them and it is something that can be done right now.

The point is that Nick Clegg and the Libdems could do the same but the electorate would know that it is meaningless, Cameron does it and it will get done.