Vote Banana Republic Party at the next election and elect Bob Finbow for an idea who's time has come.

David Masu, Zürich,

This is an odious bill which brings the MP's and Labour/Conservative parties who supported this into disrepute. Do they care about our opinion? - not a jot. We typically have short memories when the time comes to vote; but I for one have put a note in my diary to remind me of this shameful episode at the next election.

Peter Bamford, Kingston upon Thames,

Sir, - The very sanctity of Freedom of Information Act is lost when MPs can hide matters that should be public. MPs are public representatives and their every action is accountable, more so when financial matters like constituency development funds, how funds are being committed to various development and welfare programmes, travel expenses of the reps, their approvals, auditing of the expenditure on various heads etc. Every action of MPs should come under public scrutiny and transparent. MPs insulating themselves from such public scrutiny is wrong and amounts to subverting the information flow/system. It is not known in what manner constituency interests are protected by hiding relevant information. The justification appears like a whitewash.

Pisipati Sriram, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India

Gordon Brown talks of a new openness in politics, restoring the trust of the electorate, the day before sending his senior supporters, Ed Balls etc., to make sure that he is no longer has to fight FoI requests as he has been doing. I assume that nobody is surprised.

H, Huntingdon,

The Times and other newspapers should start a campaign to vote out any MP who did not oppose this bill, irrespective of party. The voting record of MPs is a matter of public record (for now) and any one who did not oppose this bill should be held to account.

joseph K , UK ,

This scandalous affair serves to illustrate, in sharp relief, the utter futility of the public making its opinion known. There is something seriously wrong with the democratic process when MPs of all shades first admit that their lack of trustworthiness has reached the point where they admit to being unable to resist acting illegally by raising part funds in exchange for ermine and other favours.

Having owned up to illegality with impunity, they propose to correct this, not by mending their ways, but by forcing the taxpayer to fund them directly. Having failed to produce policies and a party structure that the public is prepared to support voluntarily, through donations, MPs propose to extract funds forcefully to support themselves.

On top of all this, their latest step is to exempt themselves and their shabby, illegal dealings from public scrutiny.

If MPs admit to being unworthy to police their own affairs then some other body or bodies must do the job for them.

Edwin Thornber, Bucharest, Romania

Everyone complains that politicians are dishonest. At least this bill shows them up as being TRANSPARENTLY dishonest. I hope all daily newpapers are going to list every MP who voted for this bill so they are easily identifiable and remind us all again before the next election in case it might have slipped our minds!

Sue E., Swansea,

Did you say the Chanceelor raided the Pension Fund of £5,000,000,000, each year, does this smell of the Maxwell business

victor arram, westclff on sea, uk

I have written to my MP in this regard but I know this effort will prove futile. We are held in contempt by the very people we have appointed to represent our best interests and are left to feel impotent when they betray our trust in this arrogant and self-serving manner. These same people berate the media for trivialising politics and cry foul when their corrupt practices are exposed. Gordon Brown's 'moral compass' and promise to listen to 'the people' have already proved to be illusionary when his own selfish interests are at stake.

Bob, London,

Listening to Hazel Blears defending her support of the bill on the grounds of protecting the intimate details of MP's constituent's business & overriding her 'concerns' to cover up MP's business such as expenses, said it all.
Andrew Marr on the BBc Sunday TV Programme today asked her 3 times where she stood & she could not deny that she would not vote against the bill if it meant revealing constituent business , neatly (or not ) sidestepping her real position.
The Mp who bought a quad bike using expenses to see his flock definitely knows his own position !
The Sunday Times clearly pointed out that under the data protection Act that constituents' business would be protected under any circumstances. The Lords are our last chance|

Julian Shore, Gata de Gorgos, Spain

If David Cameron wishes to show his mettle as a future prime minister he should immediately suspend those 18 Tory MPs who supported the bill from the party. It would make a huge statement about where he stands on sleaze

Mark Summers, Sevenoaks, Kent, UK

Is it time for us to have a written, modern, constitution? How else are we going to be able to control these people?

Alistair, Edinburgh,

print Names of all Mps who suported the bill.

(on your frot page)

pensioner(70)

Ken, Northwich, Cheshire

The Commons have proved that they're not to be trusted. Now it's up to the Lords.

Several times in the last few years we have had to thank the Lords for being a barrier, although a flimsy one, against nonsense enacted by the Government.

Please, your Lordships, do your stuff again.

Michael Bruce, Selby, Yorkshire

The thing to do is for as many people as possible to start voting for minority party candidates (and I mean real minority - not SNP, Plaid Cymru etc - bring back the monster raving loony party). A sufficient number of truly independent MPs would paralyse parliament. This would be a price worth paying to drive home to MPs of the current major parties that, however inflated their egos, they are responsible to those who elect them. At present, as soon as elected, they start behaving like Banana Republic dictators.

Bob Finbow, Haverhill, England

The MPS at Selfminister also refused to renew the contract of the Onbudsman appointed to oversee thir standards of behaviour ---too critical. Great start to Gordons 100 Days!

R. James, Clifton,

I think this is very worrying indeed, and I hope that those MP's, who have nothing to hide, speak up and protest on behalf of the public.

kim domnick, Torquay, UK

The former Conservative Chief Whip would have slipped effortlessly into the higher echelons of the East German VOPO.
So much for "individual responsibilty".

Peter Bolt, Redditch, UK

They the politicians pushed the self-destruct button on themselves sometime ago and here is yet another reason for their ultimate release of power. If you are in politics then you should be representing the interests of your constituents and your country rather than your own especially under false pretexts.

Richard Warwick, London,

Utterly contemptible, one law for us another for them.
I have already contacted my MP and would urge others to do the same.

peter mcphee, Dumbarton,