Why I am supporting lobbying transparency for the Power2010 pledge

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Why I am supporting lobbying transparency for the Power2010 pledge

05.02.2010 // by Tom Griffin

We need a lobbying register to clean up politics.

Parliament has traditionally been the central institution of British politics, but it has never been held in lower esteem than it is now.

The expenses saga has been the biggest contributor to this crisis, but in some ways other scandals have been even more worrying.

Last year saw the House of Lords move to suspend two of its members for the first time since the 1640s.

The errant Lords had told undercover reporters from the Sunday Times that they were prepared to help amend legislation for a fee.

The Cash for Amendments Affair highlighted a legislative process that remains open to undue influence by well-financed lobbyists.

There is a danger that such influence might actually increase if the crackdown on MPs' expenses creates more scope for financial inducements.

Reformist MPs have offered a way forward on the issue. In December 2008, the Public Administration Select Committee proposed a compulsory register of lobbying activity in a report on the issue.

The idea has been backed by 166 MPs in an early day motion. It also has the support of a coalition of NGOs in the Alliance for Lobbying Transparency.

Given the supposed era of reform at Westminster in the wake of the expenses scandal, one might have expected that the Government would seize on the idea.

Instead, it rejected the proposal last October in favour of "effective voluntary self-regulation," a return to the culture of complacency that brought Parliament to its present pass.

If that culture is to be overcome it is up to the public at large to insist on a cleaned-up politics.

One of the best ways to do that is to vote for the inclusion of a compulsory lobbyists' register in the Power2010 pledge.

Tom Griffin is a member of SpinWatch. You can vote for Lobbying Transparency in the POWER2010 Pledge here.