Be careful where you place blame

Jul 28 2011 By Lorely Burt MP

What do the MPs’ expenses scandal, the bankers’ bonuses scandal and the phone hacking scandal all have in common?

They represent something in our society that I feel a growing unease about.

I know personally about the MPs’ scandal. I know what it feels like to be the subject of a witch-hunt, tarred with the same brush as real wrongdoers.

Then the bankers’ scandal hit. There’s no doubt that many of them failed to grasp the outrage which the bonus culture provoked but they represent a tiny number of people. The vast majority work hard and never see the huge bonuses which investment banking can award.

And now we have the hacking scandal.

Don’t get me wrong: I’m glad the Murdoch house of cards has finally come tumbling down. But I’m worried about the way we as a society seem to need a ‘lowest bottom rung’ to hate and to blame for whatever ills pervade our society.

So let’s keep a sense of proportion. Let’s remember we’re none of us perfect.