A Very British Revolution: The Expenses Scandal and How to Save Our Democracy

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The revelations over MPs' expenses that began in May 2009 ranged from petty thieving to outright fraud and sparked a crisis in confidence unprecedented in modern times. This was a 21st-century Peasants' Revolt - an uprising of the people against the political class.

Ordinary men and women with political views across the spectrum were in turns amused, incredulous, shocked and then bitterly angry as the disclosures poured out. From Home Secretary Jacqui Smith's bath plug to Conservative Sir John Butterfill's 'flipping' of his constituency home - a now-notorious scam that required him to refund 60,000 pounds to the taxpayer - the exposure of MPs' expenses revealed Westminster's culture of quiet corruption like never before.

Drawing on his experience as an MP and as a member of the Committee on Standards and Privileges, Martin Bell explains how the expenses crisis arose and, most compellingly, lays out his prescription for healing the deep wounds inflicted by the scandal.

As Martin puts it: 'The revolution will not be complete until all the rogues in the House are gone and public confidence in the MPs remaining is restored.' This is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to revive British politics, and the rebuilding starts here.

Reviews

The book took 10 weeks to write and reads quickly off the page. -- Eastern Daily Press
The journalist turned accidental MP has an insight not available to reporters. -- Eastern Daily Press
I am especially interested to read Martin's new book...And I am recommending that everyone buys his book. -- Douglas Carswell, MP for Harwich and Clacton
Adversity, Bell reminds us, can actually be quite useful. -- Tribune
Bell doesn't mince his words condemning the 'corrupt' politicians who have 'lost our trust because they pick our pockets.' -- Sunday Herald
His latest book is scathing about those who become MPs without having done much else in their lives other than politics. He judges - as I do - that much of the recent debacle would have been avoided, if so many of those who made it to Westminster had a career pattern other than school, university, researcher, aide to MP and adoption as Parliamentary candidate. -- Tribune
Bell is right when he emphasizes that the real problem with the expenses scandal is not the money: it's the fact that MPs make up their own rules, and effectively end up writing their own cheques. -- London Review of Books

Author Bio

Martin Bell OBE, a former BBC war reporter, became in 1997 the first independent MP to be elected to Parliament since 1950 and he has since campaigned tirelessly for trust and transparency in British Politics.