WHATEVER view you take on the ‘issues’ (as Tony Benn would call them), this has been a dreadful week for democracy.

Parliament returned from its ridiculously long summer recess (imposed by the Government) to find MPs’ expenses all over the press again.

As before, it’s conveniently obscuring the really big scandal of the bankers that has resurfaced.

Just what is going on? It’s only a year since the banks were bailed out by the Government on behalf of all of us, not a pleasant process but necessary to avoid the levels of economic collapse and depression that happened in the 1930s.

Yet already these people are talking about bonuses of billions, including RBS which is now majority-owned by the Government (on behalf of all of us).

Meanwhile the Conserv-atives, in cahoots with the right-wing media, have managed to hijack the debate and hoodwink the country into believing that the problem has not been caused by the corporate and individual greed in the financial system, but by the level of public spending. Almost everyone in the world apart from the British Tories supports the actions Governments have taken to prevent a 10-year depression and painfully drag their economies back into growth.

Only in this country are the political parties competing with each other to slash and burn the public sector more effectively than the other lot.

The ‘promised’ levels of cuts are going to result in huge hardship and disastrous effects on communities throughout the country. As many sensible economists are now pointing out, they are not necessary.

So who is standing up for ordinary people in all this? It should be the job of MPs in Parliament – but most of them seem to be too demoralised to stand up for anything.

Sir Thomas Legg’s inquiry seems to be getting things wrong with MP after MP, and its release of the infamous white letters showed a remarkable lack of competence.

Meanwhile, all the heady talk of democratic reforms to give elected MPs in Parliament much more power to hold the Government to account has fallen by the wayside.

What is being strengthened by all this is the power of the Prime Minister and the Government, the party leaders and the whips, and it’s a disaster for democracy.