What is the common thread that runs through -  Enron Executive Greed, Banking Executive Greed and the UK Politician’s Greed – well – if it looks like greed and smells like greed – then let’s assume that it’s greed. Now what can we do about greed? Can we ban it or legislate against it or do we just have to accept it as part of modern society, whatever that is.

Maybe we should look at greed amongst the powerful as a symptom of a more serious disease – a disease which is so endemic that only major surgery can be used, otherwise it will spread like wildfire amongst the rest of us. What makes people greedy? Is it part of being powerful? Maybe it is a reaction to being able to command respect because of one’s position rather than on what one does in one’s life? Whatever the cause, the cure for greed surely lies in making it more difficult to be greedy rather than easy as Politician’s have found.

The more unclear or softer rules are, the more likely that they will be bent. Too many people see rules as being there to be broken – this comes from the fact that many of the rules are over-complex and inconsistent. Most organisations are able to lay down clear and simple expenses rules – with the overiding requirement that profit does not come out of expenses.

So let us have clear and simple rules for our Politicians – if clear and simple rules cannot be drawn up in a day, then they are neither clear nor simple – nor are they going to work effectively, as history shows.  Politician’s in particular, are used to spending most of their working lives making complex laws for the rest of us to follow – and they are the last people to make rules that will govern their own expenses. You just need to look at the mess UK Politician’s are in with their current expenses to realise that they are unable to be fair and balanced in this regard – most of their mess comes from complex expenses rules written by – yes, you guessed it – themselves!

Making new rules for expenses are best left to independent / outside accountants – they should be put into the UK Parliament and given not more than one day to come up with a simple new system with regard to expenses that will be transparent, consistent and apply to everyone employed by Parliament. I expect that they will complete this task by lunchtime.

Once this has been done and voted through Parliament, the same firm of accountants can then take a look at Member’s of Parliament salaries and compensations. This may take up to a week and will almost certainly result in a large increase in MP’s compensation (salary reviews usually do).

In order to reduce the overall cost of Parliament to taxpayers – (why not?) -the number of MP’s sitting in the House of Commons and Members in the Lord’s – should be halved. The UK does not need over 1,000 Politician’s deliberating and making complex new laws. Half that number would suffice and be cheaper. I imagine the cost savings will impress and also be impressive.

Fewer Politician’s, with higher salaries, working under simple, transparent expenses rules – in a Parliament that is cost-effective – and cheaper, now that would do wonders for solving the disease of greediness and could introduce Politicians to the new concept (for them) of “value for money”. It could all be done in a little over a week – bet it’s not!