Nobody real gives a monkey's about these childish games. Pople should care about the 3,200 new laws enacted in the last 10 years, the intrusion into private life, the simple lack of understanding of the priorities in the lives of NORMAL people. Labour in 10 years has lost touch with ordinary folk.

Bill, Newhaven,

Do not vote. To do so would only be to endorse Parliament as it exists now and the party political system that drives it. One of the 2 major parties will still be returned, but if the turnout is derisory, say 30%, then change may be peacefully achieved.

Peter Donson, Southwell,Notts, UK

I didn't realise these MPs cost us so much. I don't mind them earning £1 million if they are absolutely great with their job. Unfortunately, they aren't - they have no vision, no belief, no responsibility. All they have is greed. If I was the boss, I'd probably pay them min wage with such performanc

Ben, Manchester,

The Country works best when Parliament is on holiday, which says a great deal about the 650 odd MPs. They are just voting fodder for the Parties. We need fewer MPs (400) and all archaic procedures reviewed. No law should be passed without proper consultation. The Speaker has to go, he is hopeless.

Martin Bellamy, cirencester, England

Regretably the recent MP's expense claims scandal has demonstrated the extent of human greed, in that they seem to care only for themselves instead of the people they represent.

Derek, St. Genis des Fontaines, France

Wasn't the "defences of current practices" argument exactly the one Thatcher faced when breaking the power of the unions? So what we see here are the MP as trade unionists and shop stewards indulged in Spanish practices? Where is Mrs T when she's needed?

Ken, France, France

The world's shoddy parliamentarians will not change until the voters do and stop electing them. The problem is that we are offered a choice between shoddy and and shoddy by the parties. The party system is a large part of the problem.

Chris, Ashford, Middx, England

Brian W - I suspect you are refering to the emering issue of "Gategate". I knew it would come up sooner or later.

Jon, London, UK

Sure, the heckling is childish and the atmosphere irreverent. But that is part of some intangible quality that many other legislatures lack, something that ultimately makes Parliament more human, and which punctures any institutional pomposity and pretension. Better than a "democratic mausoleum".

Johan, london,

An excellent article. We need to restore a sense that MP's represent their constituents not just the party whip and that they take inteligent informed and principled decisions. Then we need to give them real work, much of which has been hived off to Quango's or Brussles

Whigview, Harrogate,

Good points here: procedures and institutional culture matter.

We also need journalists who won't let the news be managed, whether by Damian McBride or by David Cameron's theatricals: "I was completely shocked to find my colleagues had behaved badly, I had no warning. I've fixed it immediately".

Ben, London,

we have the technology to do without the parliament. we can create a parliament in every household. if we can watch movies on internet if we can read papers and exchange ideas then why not vote????
we can as a nation all decide whats good and whats bad and vote for or against it.
makes perfect sense

ebbi britt, valencia, spain

excellent article.
you better start plugging away at some of these issues now please Dan! A real opportunity may present itself to radically improve this country.

jh, London,

By our own inertia and apathy we get the politicians we deserve.
The general public's preference for reading about soap operas and celebrity scanda rather than real life issues will ensure that this episode will be forgotten in a few weeks.

MaxC, London,

OBI states that: "any attempts to fix those other problems will have to wait until after the next scandal." That islike waiting for tomorrow - and tomorrow never comes, for when it does it is today. When the next scandal comes, it becomes the current scandal and people are too busy ducking for cover

Ian Ker, Mt Lawley, Australia

Lawgate. We are all deemed to know the law and can be prosecuted for breaking it. At least the lawmakers should know the details of laws they have passed. At the end of each session, MPs should take an examination on the laws they have passed. If the MPs don't pass the laws should be suspended.

David Hughes, Manama, Bahrain

If you consider Parliament as a legislation factory, most of its goods would be returned by the customers as "defective" "not as ordered" or "surplus to requirements". Would it help to smarten the old place up a bit? It's so gloomy, awkward and depressing it must be hard to work well there.

Frank Upton, Solihull,

There really is only one solution vote independent and destroy the established parties.

Garry, Sheffield,

Valid points, but only fiddling in the margins. A Parliamentary system that was fit for the 18th century is hardly likely to be the best possible solution for the internet age. Let's adopt the best parts of Switzerland's intelligent democracy, reduce MP numbers, and beef up the Boundaries Comm, too.

Steve, Porthcawl,

When oh when are you and the rest of the media going to stop adding the stupid suffix 'gate' to every scandal. Lets kill it NOW. On politics the sooner the whip system is made illegal , the sooner we will get MPs voting for what they believe, rather than what they are told to do.

Brian Wildey, Fleurance, France

the effect on younger generations will be deep seated and linger for years and that example is "greed is good, until you are found out". This is the true legacey left by all politicians as they will ALL be tarred by the same brush.

Ken Clarkson, fareham,

You, sir, the writer, are party to this mess. You, who have the power of the pen, have spent too much time dining MP's and too little time critiquing the institution. Politicians will not reform their club. The media and the outsiders must bell the cat.

bill grimmett, beatrice, canada

The world's shoddy parliamentarians will not change until the voters do and stop electing them. Don't hold your breath, chaps.

Bob Hall, New York, USA

No morals, no honour, no truth & a desire to suppress the release of information highlighting their appalling behaviour.

I am troubled for the future of this country when we, the people, are set such a shockingly bad example by parliamentarians.

isobel, ashford, uk

you have missed out the scandal (waiting to happen) of appointments by MPs of close family members and friends to publicly funded jobs as secretaries and researchers, assistants etc.

Crest, St Peter Port,

Good article, however it's about time that journalists did their job and started real, intense and deep investigating of all politics.
Papers assume that we only want to read about celebrities.
Guido Fawkes and this expenses scandal proves otherwise.
Tell the people everything and let them decide!

Jonathan, Cheshire,

Move them out of Westminster, somewhere more central. Put them into modern surroundings, give us access by camera and sound 24/7, publish all relevant data such as expenses and attendance and individual vote results. Get rid of the cosy club and archane nonsense this is the 21st century.

mike gee, bournemouth, uk

The most troublesome aspect of all this, is that they thought they could get away with it and how they fought tooth and nail to conceal it. This must say something about the kind of people queuing up for ride on the gravy train. Shame it's hit the buffers Heh! Now they'll have to get a proper job.

Tom Stack, Derby, England

Looks like the peasants are revoltin' Daniel and about time too. I reckon we need another Cromwell. "You sat here too long for any good you may have done,, let's be rtid of you in the name of God go!" As true today as when he said it in 1623. But then I saw a poster, saying there probably is no God.

Tom Stack, Derby, England

Once again, Daniel shows that he has far more political acumen than David Aaronovitch or Matthew Parris, indeed more than the House of Commons, even though he probably knows that is scant praise. Keep it coming, Daniel.

David Diprose, Saundersfoot, Wales

The government have long used 'enabling bills' which are included in legislation. These allow extra regulations to be tacked on the end of any existing law at a later date without further discussion.

c.wood, camberley, UK

I long wondered why the Government failed to act on the property -bubble to protect the public. Ministers were, in fact using the public's money to become tax exempt property speculators, hence their collusion in Brown's boom & bust. This is the charge the Government should answer..

John Barkham, Burton upon Trent, UK

British taxpayers will have to work until they are 70. I would like MPs to defer their own gold-plated pensions until then, too.

Kate, Oxford,

Mr Finkelstein doesn't mention that British parliament is very nearly irrelevant. Most legislation comes through, -on the nod, from Europe on the un-democratic statutory instruments system. That's the elephant in the room. Also interesting is Cameron's reaction to Lord Tebbit's comments.

n peckett, marlow, bucks

As far as I know, Hermann Göring never actually murdered anyone with his bare hands, and he was acting fully within the rules established by the governing body. Applying the standards du jour, has history been too harsh on him?

David Masu, Zürich, Switzerland

In ancient Greece they coined Democracy where every free man had a vote on every issue. Impractical, no doubt - which led to 'Political Party' politics. But the Greeks didn't have an Internet.

The very concept of Political Representation is made obsolete by the Net. Why now do I even need an MP?

BaiDaLong, Brisbane, Australia

I agree with David Shute, of Minchinhampton, - If all expenses had been published, the fiasco we are experiencing would never have happened - but the nature of the beast is not honesty - otherwise they all would have got a proper job

elliott, Kefalonia, Greece

Of course they get it. Just not in a good way.

So long as the behavioural psychologists tell them that negative campaigning works, and so long as each party believes that it can manage a revelation so that it damages them less than their opponents, it will all continue. It's ammunition for them.

Ian Kemmish, Biggleswade, UK

This has got to be the most sensible article i have read from Mr Finkelstein.
He has pointed out the myriad problems with the current practices of the UK parliament.
I have a feeling that any attempts to fix those other problems will have to wait until after the next scandal.

OBI , London, UK

If, as is being claimed, 90% of MPs have not exploited the expenses system - then let this 90% proudly publish their full (and presumably 100% justified) expense claims - since they, apparently, have nothing to hide.
Attention - Please watch out for low flying pigs!

david shute, minchinhampton, Gloucestershire

Once party discipline became paramount, time/delay was the only weapon left to MPs - not only, but especially the Opposition. Much of the behaviour of the House can only be understood in this context. However modernising the Commons has emasculated this device and the behaviour looks odd.

John Barnes, Etchingham, UK

"They even passed a special Act to allow existing laws to be changed without having to go back before Parliament at all."
You're right i didn't know about that. No wonder its been kept quite thats outrageous. I hope the Times investigates further.

Anthony Lester, Birmingham,

The MP spending issue still has other legs. Given what has happened, who now would say MPs can be trusted to chose their own staff and pay them in secret. And I suspect there are many MPs with plenty to hide here - how long I wonder before a newspaper exposes what has gone on in this area.

Anne Murphy, London,