The Good Guys

As far as MP's expenses go, it is very easy to fall into the toxic, negative viewpoint, that "they're all it" - they're all corrupt bastards with their snouts in the trough.

But for all of us railing against the lack of integrity in our Parliament, it is important to maintain a level of honesty ourselves, and appreciate and acknowledge that there is a whole host of MPs who are doing the best they can, who refuse to mooch of the taxpayer and who refuse to compromise their integrity and the trust of their constituents who voted them in. In short, power can corrupt, but it doesn't have to.

The Telegraph has done a series of articles detailing who "the good guys (and girls)" are in Parliament. The House may have fallen into disrepute, but that does not mean that every individual parliamentarian who composes it has personally fallen into disrepute. Read the articles here, here, and here - and whatever your anger at the broken, corrupt system, don't forget these people.

We need an election, no doubt. But let's not chuck the finite amount of good apples in the basket that we have along with the significant amount of bad apples. Our democracy is broken. It has been tainted by an insular, entrenched political class - but that does not mean that all of our parliamentary representatives have also been tainted.

And to the Labour Party's credit, a notable number of the good bunch come from them. When the General Election finally comes along, let's not go mad with anger and hatred.