DC: Know that you are voting for a cleaned up Parliament

Mary, I think the first thing people want to know is they're going to be voting for a cleaned-up parliament. Everywhere I go in this country during the election, it is simmering and bubbling below the surface. There is just anger about the expenses fiasco. People say, "I pay my taxes to have decent politics and yet the money's been spent on all these appalling things." They want to be to be absolutely sure this is never ever going to happen again. So strict limits on what can be spent, total transparency so you, the voters, can see every penny. That I think is the absolutely first thing that needs to be done. I would go on and say we also need to cut the cost cost of politics. Everyone else in this country has had to make 20 economies and had to make their businesses work better. Why shouldn't politics be the same? I would do that. Then simple changes which would put back in control. I want to see more people involved in choosing candidates for the parties, holding open primaries. I agree we need we have a situation where you can sack your MP but please don't let's give up the way you can sack your government and throw them out. Let's not have permanent hung parliaments.

Politics can make a difference, Mary, but I would say the politicians in this country have been treating the people as mugs for far too long. They've been sort of saying, we can do everything, vote for us and we'll solve all your problems. Let us pass a few more laws, spend a bit more money, pass more regulation and all the trouble will be fixed. It is not really true, it is a big lie. The truth is, if you really want to change things, if you want safer streets, if yo want better schools, yes, the Government's got its role, but we've all got our responsibilities, too. We need to bring up our children properly, we've got to make sure we work with the school, we've got to make sure we help the police, we have to make sure there is discipline in schools, real solutions to the problems in a country I think come when we all say, I've got responsibilities as well that go beyond paying my taxes and obeying the law. It's my society, it's my country, I will elect some politicians, but I want to join with them to change the country and make it a better place. I think that's a much more honest answer for how we really get the change we need in the country.

RELATED ARTICLESExplain
Visualizing the Prime Ministerial Debates
Domestic questions
E. How do you plan to restore faith in politics?
DC: Know that you are voting for a cleaned up Parliament
Don't adopt a voting system that gives us permanent hung parliaments
Need to cut the cost of politics
Politicians have been treating the people as mugs for far too long
Simple changes to put people back in control
Strict limits on what can be spent
Total transparency
You should be able to sack your own MP
David Cameron (Domestic)
GB: Can a vote make a difference, I believe it can
NC: Give you the power to sack any politician proven to be corrupt
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