A STATEMENT FROM LORD GNOMESON
They have been given every opportunity to clean up their act, and yet again they have failed.
They have proved that self-regulation simply does not work.
They have demonstrated that we can no longer trust them to recognise just how dismally they have fallen short of the ethical standards that the people of Britain have the right to expect of them.
That is why I am recommending that a truly independent new body should be set up by Royal Charter to regulate and police the conduct and activities of all Members of Parliament.
This regulatory body would be closely supervised by a Privy Council made up of distinguished journalists and editors whose duty would be to ensure that MP's comply with their statutory code of conduct, on behalf of the public interest.
The politicians might protest that this was an unwarranted infringement of their liberties.
But we have heard this too often in the past, and the latest sorry case of Mrs Maria Miller only confirms the need for our self-interested politicians to be brought under the proper control of the press where they belong...
©Lord Gnomeson 2014