Margaret Hodge: Called to Account

The political reminiscences of the Chair of the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee 2000-2015 may sound a dry subject but Margaret Hodge is an excellent speaker.

In her talk at Buxton Opera House entitled Called to Account, she spoke of fighting the British National Party in the 2010 General Election and of how shedeveloped new ways of connecting with voters and addressing their concerns. Her greatly increased parliamentary majority demonstrates her success in this. She was lively in her reflectionson being a member of the establishment as well as the daughter of immigrants.

Margaret Hodge sees tax as a moral issue and a citizen’s duty. She made a convincing argument for simplifying the tax system and making it more transparent. She is strongly opposed to tax avoidance and to waste and inefficiency in public spending. We could have learned so much more about this if Mike Neary had spoken less and chaired the meeting better.