Sinister interests: Bentham s warning about politicians

The MPs? expenses scandal has shown the naivety of trusting our politicians to display noble conduct, writes UCL postgraduate student James Shafe. Jeremy Bentham, philosopher and spiritual founder of UCL, warned us 200 years ago that politicians are selfish creatures who need clear incentives if they are to work in the community?s best interests. Is it time for performance-related pay for MPs, asks James Shafe (UCL Political Science)? A key lesson of 2009 is that we will get the best out of our MPs only by catering to the worst in their natures. In 2009, the published a series of expenses claims made by MPs from all three main British political parties. Officially, MPs can only claim parliamentary expenses for costs ?wholly, exclusively and necessarily incurred for the performance of a Member?s parliamentary duties. However, the claims published by the revealed widespread and systematic abuse of the system. A number of explanations of the scandal have been offered by the popular press, but naive trust underlies many of them.