News from the New Party

Conway should go - but probably won't

Tory MP Derek Conway's "administrative oversight" has delivered some relief to a Labour Party embattled by its own financial peccadilloes.

Conway faces ten days' suspension from the House of Commons after abusing his staffing allowance to the tune of at least £40,000, by "employing" his son, a full-time university student, as a researcher who has apparently done little or no work.

As financial scandals go, this one dwarfs Wendy Alexander's and Harriet Harman's, and is almost in the same league as Peter Hain's.  Ten days off work appears to be a trivial punishment, notwithstanding Conway's grovelling apology. 

Those who hoped for and expected a strong response from the Conservative Party leadership have so far been disappointed.  David Cameron has stated that "the appropriate punishment is being administered", indicating that he, at least, regards ten days suspension as adequate - and, in view of Conway's apology, there is no question of the Conservative whip being withdrawn.  One of Conway's parliamentary colleagues, Roger Gale MP, has even described Conway's suspension as a "witch hunt".  In the circumstances it does not appear that the Conservative Party offers hope to any voters looking for an alternative government to restore some integrity to public life.

To their credit, the Conservative grass-roots clearly take a different view: newspaper articles, blogs and websites across the board are demanding, variously, withdrawal of the whip, deselection and prosecution for an offence which would see any ordinary person sacked or in court.

The costs to David Cameron of holding back on this issue are considerable.  The immediate result is that he ends up tarred with the same brush as Gordon Brown, who has dithered and blathered endlessly over Hain and the assorted other fiascos.  The consequence is that any further attacks the Conservatives may wish to make on the probity of Labour ministers' financial dealings will be hopelessly compromised.  It all looks horribly like a closing of ranks by the Westminster establishment.

The only plausible reason for showing Conway mercy is that the costs to Cameron of punishing him are worse than not doing so - and the only reason for that must be that many other MPs are in a similar position to Conway himself.

How many other fingers are in the till?  And how much damage to the body politic would be done if the full truth comes out?  It seems that the political establishment would rather it didn't.

UPDATE: Shortly after this article was posted, news came through that David Cameron has indeed withdrawn the Conservative whip from Derek Conway.  In view of our previous comments, we await further developments with interest.