Special Advice

John Bercow has apparently appointed a Special Adviser, Tim Hames of The Times. Six figures of your money and mine. Of course.

Not only should all political funding to be by resolution of membership organisations. But parliamentarians’ staff to be appointed from lists maintained by such organisations in return for payment of at least half of those staff’s salaries.

This would require politicians and parliamentarians to have links to wider civil society, not least including trade unions, co-operatives, agriculture, manufacturing, small business, and organisations campaigning for conservative causes.