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WHAT’S BEHIND THE HATE?

The MPs expenses scandal has unleashed a torrent of public anger that we haven’t seen before. The Labour MP Diane Abbott caught the measure of the moment: “Saying sorry isn’t enough. Giving money isn’t enough. There’s a mood among the public, they want to see dead MPs hanging from lamp-posts.” The Wantage MP Ed Vaisey returned £2,000 of his expenses claim: "This whole thing has given everyone pause for thought, and the environment has completely changed. It is irrelevant whether or not MPs thought it was acceptable."

People have good reason to be angry. MPs occupy a different position from Joe Bloggs. They make decisions that shape society directly. If they break the social norms of fairness and accountability, this is a fundamental betrayal that trumps anything Joe Bloggs or even Ronnie Biggs could do, because it’s on a different level. We expect more from them.

But we got far less. When the story first broke the MPs denied it outright until more information was produced. Then, as it became clear there was substance to the claims in The Telegraph, MPs suggested there must have been some administrative mistake. And these aren't your usual suspects. One north Oxfordshire resident makes television films. The market is tight and work is slight. He has two homes mortgaged up to the roof tiles. He can't sell and he can't get any money from the bank. He told me his life is going down the tube.

As soon as the scale of the scandal was undeniable the MPs justified the expenses by arguing moat cleaning and massage chairs represented good value for money to the taxpayer. Finally and not until the outcry reached boiling point, the apologies came tumbling out.

But let’s look at that boiling point. What is behind the hate? It is not just an expression of the betrayal the public rightly feels. It goes beyond that to other points on the moral compass: the refusal to backdate the police pay agreement, the lack of adequate equipment for the military, the restriction of life prolonging medicines to cancer patients… the list is long.

The anger goes even beyond that to the economic downturn; because some people are in freefall and they don’t know when and what they are going to hit. I’ve talked to people in the streets who are quietly going bankrupt. I’ve seen the desperation in their eyes.

But it goes beyond that to the fact that we are caught up in a crisis and can’t do much about it. Many people feel they are no longer in control. I think many people have a fear of their own impotence and they are angry with themselves and that’s the taproot.

What do you think is behind the hate?