Ian Hislop rips into MPs over sleaze: ‘The public are sick of being taken for fools’

metro.co.uk:

supports HTML5 videoIan Hislop has torn into MPs over issues including sleaze, second jobs, and lobbying, as he told them that the public is ‘sick of being taken for fools’.The Have I Got News For You host and editor of Private Eye, who’s no stranger to holding the government to account, appeared before the standards watchdog on Tuesday when he gave the impassioned speech.Speaking about some MPs’ second jobs, Ian, 61, said: ‘What do you think these companies are paying the money for?

Do you think they are chucking it away?‘When politicians declare their interests, why do they think businesses are paying them this money?‘I think the public is very sick of being taken for fools at the moment on all sorts of levels, and it is very sick of being taken for fools on this level.’His comments came as MPs have been embroiled in sleaze allegations over money earned outside Parliament, with Tory MP Owen Paterson resigning over findings that he lobbied on behalf of two companies paying him more than £100,000 per year.Ian went on: ‘I think we have to admit that the system failed in that Owen Paterson had obviously no idea he was breaking the code, and a large number of his fellow MPs decided that they had no idea either, and that the whole system wasn’t working.‘We have to redefine the term lobbying, and we have to incorporate some of the proposals you have made, and instead make them harder.’Ian also clashed with Tory MP Sir Bernard Jenkin.Sir Bernard said: ‘You can police rules and have tougher rules but lots of people will carry on gaming rules.

If they think rules are the only issue and they don’t understand why the rules exist – what the principles are behind the rules – you aren’t going to change people’s attitudes.’Ian.