Say what you think

On the 10th December I wrote that "some MPs voted with the coalition because they have ministerial responsibility". Well at least four Liberal Democrat ministers have been secretly recorded expressing their concerns for government policies. Ministers can't do this but just because they are ministers doesn't stop them having individual views, it's just that they can't express them.

All ministers are individuals and all have different views if you look closely enough. The problem here is that undercover agents of the press have uncovered their weaknesses. Vince Cable's disagreement with Mr Murdoch highlighted bias which should not be present in the decision making process. We are human and bias is there but Vince was caught in a kind of honey trap. I know that politicians are not held in high esteem and having to disguise your true views won't help but using subterfuge won't help the standing of newspaper journalists. Nobody is perfect but if we have not broken the law should we be subject to a possible newspaper sting in order to sell a few more papers?

I don't think that I could be a Liberal Democrat minister. I would have to say that I am standing by many decisions with which I do not agree. That might be fine if there is broad agreement but I prefer to say what I think. The big changes for government should not concern ministerial unity, they should embrace individuality and allow more decisions to come from the body of the house. Let people say what they think.

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