Allowance-gate shows no sign of abating it would seem. Surely the powers-that-be (sic) must have known what an own-goal they would score publishing the various allowances claims with parts blacked out! And what a mockery it makes of the so-called Freedom of Information act! When you compare what was released "under the act" with what the Telegraph has reported, you see just how deep-rooted this problem is. Ultimately, we are all suffering. We need a political system that we can be proud of and we simply don't have one. A London cabbie gave me his perspective (as they do) last week. We want fewer MPs. We want MPs with real life experience and integrity who have achieved things outside politics. If we want the best - we need to pay them well. Makes sense to me.
What do we in the regeneration sector have to learn from all of this? I think it's quite simple - TELL THE TRUTH! Throughout my career I always tried to call it as I see it without spin and without polish. I've got it right sometimes and I've got it wrong. But I've always taken the view that people are not stupid and the truth will always emerge. We've become so used to spin and half truths that no-one believes anything anymore. I was confused by PMQs last week: will Labour increase public spending in a new parliament and will the Tories cut it as the PM argued? Or is Labour spinning the facts and they are planning significant cuts as David Cameron contends? Just give me the facts and let me make up my own mind.
We need a new era of honesty and transparency. In fact we will not recover unless we take this approach. Keep it simple and tell the truth. It might not always be comfortable in the short term - but it's the right thing to do.
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