Somethings are scandals, somethings aren't

There are two big “scandals” featured heavily in the newspapers today, both supposedly showing that the government is full of high class toffs with no respect for hard working every day sort of folk. But while one is clearly a scandal, to my mind the other isn’t.

On the one hand we have Plebgate – badly named by the way. We almost had a scandal called Gategate. That would have been epic -  and the swift resignation of Chief Whip Andrew Mitchell over comments he may or may not have made to a Downing Street police officer.  On the other we have Ticketgate concerning the Chancellor and whether or not he tried to sit in a First Class coach with a standard ticket.

Now I don’t know about you, but the former strikes me as much more of a scandal than the latter. From the reports I’ve seen about the Chancellor’s little ticket issue, he was booked onto a train from his constituency with a standard ticket, but when he was able to get a different train he moved to first class, sought out the train manager and paid the difference. He did just what everyone who gets onto a train without the correct ticket does. But the media – unfortunately – are painting this as yet another example of how the Government are out of touch with the population.

“He WHAT!! He sat in the first class carriage with a standard ticket. HOW DARE HE!! There are Grannies freezing in Northumbria.”

Seriously everyone, back up. From what we know, he didn’t argue, he didn’t pull rank, he didn’t threaten to have the manager sacked and his children sent down the mines. He just paid the balance of his new ticket. No harm. No foul.

As for Plebgate, that is an actual scandal. Whether or not the former Chief Whip referred to the officer as an  ‘F***ing pleb’ or not –he says he didn’t, the Police Federation said he did – it clearly had an adverse effect on the Government. Mr Cameron has worked very hard to “detoxify” the image of the Conservative party (though some would argue he hasn’t done the best job. See making Chris Grayling Justice Secretary) and the Chief Whip using a word like ‘pleb’ only exemplifies the public’s opinion that Conservative Ministers think they are better than everyone else.

While Mr Mitchell tried to hold on it was obvious from the start that he had to go. And while some will say that he went in order to cover for Mr Osborne, I personally think it had more to do with Wednesday’s meeting of the 1922 Committee. If they reported that Mr Mitchell no longer had the support of the backbenchers than his fate was sealed. Even though they are the senior members of the Coalition, the Tories still need every vote they can get to push their policies thorough, and if the Chief Whip has no control over party MPs then he is useless. Enter Sir George Young, back from the shortest backbench retirement ever.

But my point is this. Sometimes the media like to see scandal where there isn’t one – as in the case of Ticketgate – and sometimes they like to focus all of their attention on certain scandals, as in the case of Plebgate – but both have the unfortunate side effect of distracting their attention from bigger and more important issues such as the Government’s attempts to slash several billion from the welfare budget, or the rise in fuel prices which will harm thousands of people come the winter. These are the real scandals, and they should receive the real attention.