Ancient & modern
So MPs are to be accountable for their expenses! Ancient Greeks would have been appalled that it had taken so long. Accountability was at the heart of Athenian democracy during its brief, unparalleled existence (507-323 BO. The people (citizen males over 18), meeting in Assembly every eight days, were sovereign, and demanded that their executive officials (appointed for one year only, most by lot) rendered regular accounts of their activities. Each official was given a budget, and once every five weeks reported back to the Assembly. He continued in post only if no charges were brought. If they were, he stood trial on them, returning to office if acquitted. Further, at the end of his one-year term, he was submitted to a review of his general conduct over the year (euthunut, 'audit': literally, 'straightening' or `correcting'). Financially, this meant that the public funds he had received and expended were checked against and had to square with documents in the state archives. Any citizen could challenge the official's account. Penalties for irregularities could be very severe (including execution).
Greeks saw euthunut as a central plank of democracy and frequently contrasted it with the unfettered, unaccountable power of the tyrant. No one, however great and good, imagined themselves exempt. Pericles, for example, unmatched in his ability to persuade the Assembly to see things his way, was prosecuted for financial irregularity in 430 BC, fined and removed from office. The principle of accountability is one that modern 'democracies' find almost impossible to understand. But then, our 'democracy' has nothing to do with the Greeks. It emerged during the 19th century as a result of negotiations between the monarchy and a largely selfappointed parliament (parier, 'talkingshop'). It has always been an oligarchy, and even the emergence of universal franchise did nothing to shake that instinct. Further, it began to call itself a 'democracy' simply because that became the politically correct thing to do.
Nowadays, of course, virtually all countries are 'democracies' which indicates how meaningless the term is — and 'democracy' is as sacred and untouchable as Nelson Mandela. So it is rather bracing when an element of the real thing sweeps over the terrified oligarchs. Nor, in fact, do they have anything to fear from it. But try telling the oligarchs that.
Peter Jones
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